Compared to urban women, more rural women are found working. Why?
The percentage of female workforce in the rural areas is nearly 30 % while it is only 14 % in the urban areas. This depicts that as compared to the urban women more rural women accounts for higher share in the female workforce. While on the one hand, the rural women are less educated, unskilled and low productive, on the other hand, urban women being more educated and more skilled and productive have higher probability to get employment. Ironically, the urban female accounts for lesser share in the female workforce as compared to their rural counterparts. The following are the reasons for low share of urban females in the total female workforce:
1. As in the agricultural and allied activities, high degree of skills and specialisations is not required, so, rural women engage themselves to support their family on farms.
2. As poverty in the rural areas is more widespread than in the urban areas, so, the rural women engage themselves in low productive jobs just to support the livelihood of their families.
3. As the urban families usually earn comparatively higher income than the rural families and, further, poverty in the urban areas is not as widespread as that of in the rural areas, so, there is lesser need for female members to get themselves employed.
4. The decision to take up jobs by the female members rests on the family's decision rather than her individual decision.
5. Although female literacy in India is improving, yet it has to get much better before urban female accounts for higher share in the total female workforce.
Find the odd man out (i) owner of a saloon (ii) a cobbler (iii) a cashier in Mother Dairy (iv) a tuition master (v) transport operator (vi) construction worker.
Why are regular salaried employees more in urban areas than in rural areas?
Why are less women found in regular salaried employment?
Analyse the recent trends in sectoral distribution of workforce in India.
Define worker-population ratio.
The following table shows distribution of workforce in India for the year 1972-73. Analyse it and give reasons for the nature of workforce distribution. You will notice that the data is pertaining to the situation in India 30 years ago!
Place of Residence | Workforce (in millions) | ||
Male | Female | Total | |
Rural Urban |
125 32 |
69 7 |
195 39 |
An establishment with four hired workers is known as (formal/informal) sector establishment.
Is it necessary to generate employment in the formal sector rather than in the informal sector? Why?
Who is a casual wage labourer?
Victor is able to get work only for two hours in a day. Rest of the day, he is looking for work. Is he unemployed? Why? What kind of jobs could persons like Victor be doing?
What was the focus of the economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India? What were the impacts of these policies?
What are the two major sources of human capital in a country?
What do you mean by rural development? Bring out the key issues in rural development.
Define a plan?
Explain the term ‘infrastructure’.
What is meant by environment?
Why are regional and economic groupings formed?
Why were reforms introduced in India?
Why calorie-based norm is not adequate to identify the poor?
Name some notable economists who estimated India’s per capita income during the colonial period?
Classify the following into renewable and non-renewable resources
(i) trees (ii) fish (iii) petroleum (iv) coal (v) iron-ore (vi) water
Explain the relevance of intergenerational equity in the definition of sustainable development.
Does modernisation as a planning objective create contradiction in the light of employment generation? Explain.
Do you think outsourcing is good for India? Why are developed countries opposing it?
What is the Green Revolution? Why was it implemented and how did Does it benefit the farmers? Explain in brief.
Enlist some problems faced by farmers during the initial years of organic farming.
Identify six factors contributing to land degradation in India.
How do infrastructure facilities boost production?
Explain the role of micro-credit in meeting credit requirements of the poor.
Why was it necessary for a developing country like India to follow self-reliance as a planning objective?