Relationship Between Problems of Women Laborers and Their Socio-economic Status

Abstract

Agriculture, the single largest production endeavor in India, contributing about 18 per cent of GDP, is increasingly becoming a female activity. Women labourers play a crucial role in agriculture activities like main crop production, livestock production, horticulture, post-harvest operations etc. In spite of these, they face a number of problems such as exploitation, long working hours, unhealthy working conditions, insecurity of job, low wages, absence of decision making, male dominating society etc. Similarly the women labourers working in unorganized sector especially in urban areas are engaged in activities like domestic work, construction work, small trade brick making, coir and basket weaving, household industries etc. and they also face same types of problems. Keeping in view the above socioeconomic and psychological problems and factors affecting socio-economics problems, this present study was conducted among 120 women labourers in rural and urban communities of Hisar district of Haryana. The results revealed that majority of the respondents were in the age group of 20-35 years, belonged to scheduled caste, had nuclear families and were agricultural labours in rural areas and construction labourers in urban areas. Maximum number of the respondents from rural and urban areas had high level of social, economic and psychological problems. Regarding socio-economic problems and factors associated, it was found that caste, education, occupation of the family, income and socioeconomic status were significantly associated with problems of respondents.