Women in rural India are becoming more entrepreneurial and more prevalent in agriculture, which is what has been pushing their engagement in the workforce in recent years.
The female labor force participation rate (FLFPR) has increased in urban areas as well, but it has grown significantly in rural areas. The percentage of working women who are self-employed and who work in agriculture has increased in tandem with the rise in rural female FLFPR; both trends warrant closer examination.
The own account worker/employer category, whose proportion increased from 19% in 2017–18 to 27.9% in 2022–23, and the unpaid assistance category, whose share decreased from 38.7% to 43.1%, have both contributed to the growth in rural female employment. This suggests that women are increasingly contributing to rural agriculture.
This is probably the result of several variables coming together, such as the consistently high growth in agricultural output and the significant increase in women’s access to basic utilities like clean cooking fuel, piped drinking water, and sanitary facilities, which have freed up more of their time. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data, which indicates a notable movement in females away from domestic chores, also reflects this.
The percentage of rural female workers who work in agriculture increased to 76.2% in 2022–2023 from 73.2% in 2017–18. During the same period, the percentage of male rural workers employed in agriculture fell from 55% to 49.1%.
The workforce composition of rural women has undergone a structural change. It is characterized by an increase in the percentage of skilled labourers in the agricultural sector (from 48 percent in 2018–19 to 59.4% in 2022-23). Additionally, it demonstrates a decrease in the proportion of labourers in elementary agriculture who require a significant amount of physical exertion, going from 23.4% to 16.6% during the same time frame.
Market-oriented female agricultural workers are driving the expansion among skilled workers; they may be making up for men who are leaving the field and providing income for the family.
As a result, the feminization of agriculture also signals the need for a structural change in the industry, one in which surplus male labour is removed and the remaining female labour is effectively employed. Consequently, women’s involvement in rural India is profitable and productive.