Role of Rural Women in Decision Making Process Regarding Livestock Management

Abstract

Livestock is generally considered a key asset for rural livelihoods. Rural women play critical, diverse roles in livestock production in the rural economies of developing countries as unpaid workers. They embark on various activities of livestock management like watering and feeding of animals, cleaning activities and milking. However, their involvement as decision makers regarding various livestock activities is still dubious. Hence the present study was conducted to determine the contribution of rural women in decision-making in livestock management. A sample of 100 female respondents was selected randomly from five villages of Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir through multistage random sampling technique. Scrutiny of the data shows that rural women's participation was relatively high in activities like care of new born calf, care of sick animals, cleaning activities, produce and feeding of animals. However, their participation was relatively low in activities like sale of animals, breeding of animals, fodder harvesting, cultivation and maintenance of animals’ sheds. Male dominance and traditional belief system were the main factors which had affected the involvement of rural women in decision making process.