Article Title :
Assessment of Regional Inequality in Female Work Participation: Measurement of Disparity and Determinants
3 (2019)
1-10
Women , West Bengal , Regional Inequality , Work Participation , Physiographic region , Disparity
The regional difference of complex Indian social structure and customs have a different impact on the nature of women’s work participation. The present study aims at unravelling the influence of social, cultural and economic forces in differentiating the level of women work participation in different eco-regions of West Bengal. The study is based purely on secondary sources and data have been collected from the Census of India. It is in the rural areas that the female work participation is directly linked to agriculture and allied activities and the study confines itself to an understanding of work participation of women only in the rural areas. The modern technological implication as a result of green revolution has a worse impact on women work participation particularly in the South Bengal plain and some parts of East Rarh Plain region. The high gender gap is noticed in Nadia district located in the middle part of South Bengal Plain causes very high withdrawn of female from there. Effect of socioeconomic variables, work participation of Scheduled component in main economic activity is also varied from the non-scheduled component. Non-scheduled worker participated more in non-agricultural sector rather than the scheduled counter parts. Subsequently, the low growth rate of female work participation represents a distress picture in work force structure which is a cause of worried also.
Study deals with level of women work participation in different eco-regions of West Bengal.
Scheduled component participated more in agricultural sectors rather than the non-Scheduled component.
In inter-regional context highest gender gap is noticed in South Bengal Plain followed by East Rarh Plain and lowest gender gap is noticed in West Rarh and Plateau Fringe region.
Due to complex social fabric of West Bengal, women have to confine in the indoor activity.
Female work participation is directly linked with the level of education.
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