An analytical study on role of tribal women in wage based livelihood activities in southern Rajasthan

Abstract

Tribal women constitute half of the work force among tribals in India. They play substantial and crucial role in their social, cultural, economic and religious ways of life and considered as an economic asset in their society.The tribal women work for about 8 to 10 hours per day in agriculture and allied activities. They collect the forest produce viz., anola, custard apple, aritha, date palm, jatropha, plant leaves, firewood, bamboo, gum, wax, honey, fodder, fruits, vegetables and sell these products in the local market and nearby villages and exchange the produce for their daily requirements through barter system. Besides engaging themselves in a variety of activities both on the farm and at home, the tribal women also contribute to the family income through their wage earnings. The present research is an attempt to see the information regarding role of tribal women in wage based livelihood activities in Rajasthan.The study was conducted in three districts of Rajasthan state namely Udaipur, Dungarpur and Banswara. The research findings revealed that Majority of the respondents jointly did selection of working hours (68.18%), distribution of responsibilities such as looking after the household work in their absence (59.09%) and selection of working place (59.09%). More than half of the respondents were jointly engaged in selection of working months and utilization of income (56.36%) and work selection (54.54%) with overall pooled mean per cent score 74.74.