Agricultural Transformation and Changing Status of Women

This paper highlights that agriculture provides sustainable livelihood to the rural poor and would improve their socioeconomic status and norms. The authors say that women play an important role in the agricultural sector in the production, processing, storage and marketing activities, in addition to their valuable services in the domestic sector. This study examines the economic, social and political role of women and the changing position of rural women due to the technical changes and agricultural development in the process of liberalization of Indian economy. This study points out that agricultural growth had both negative and positive effects on women from different socioeconomic strata. The authors describe that the agricultural growth indicated an improvement in the status of upper socioeconomic strata on one hand, and deterioration in the status of lower socioeconomic strata on the other. The authors emphasize that the rural transformation consequent to agricultural growth enabled the women to have access to education and productive resources. This study further underlines that the agricultural growth has led to a decline in infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate. The study also points out that agricultural development has led to changes in the pattern of gender gap and literacy among women. Further, this study concludes that agricultural transformation brought changes in the health and marriage practices of women as well as political participation among women.