SELECTIVE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIAN AGRICULTURE - A REVIEW

Agriculture continues to be the major employer of India’s workforce. Of this workforce,
mainly small and marginal workers are women. Women workers are engaged in almost all the
activities of agriculture. Farmers also want women workers because they have low bargaining
power, sincere to their work and also bow to the orders of their employer. But according to a
survey conducted by the Labour Ministry of India, women get only 60 per cent of a male
worker’s wages for same type of work. Further, although, women are extensively involved in
agriculture of India but their suggestions are not taken in any type of decisions in agriculture.
This is because in India a man thinks it very shameful to act upon the advice of a woman.
With this background, the paper attempts to highlight the discrimination against Indian
women in agriculture. It is advisable on the part of the Indian government that education,
training and development programmes for women should be at top agenda of the government.
Only then the poor women can have a hope for justice.