UN Report Finds 71% of Working Women in South Asia to be Engaged in Agrifood Systems
In a report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization, it is found that the agriculture sector continues to be the biggest employer of women in South Asia. It highlighted that when economies shrink, it is the women’s jobs that are lost first.
गाँव कनेक्शन 3 Nov 2023 1:06 PM GMT
Globally, 22 per cent of women lost their jobs in the off-farm segment of agrifood systems in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with only 2 per cent of men.
A report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO] mentioned that while internationally, women constitute 40 per cent of the workforce in the agrifood systems, in South Asia, the share of women in the agricultural workforce is 71 per cent.
The countries included in the South Asia region consist of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, and Myanmar.
“In general, women account for a greater share of agricultural employment at lower levels of economic development, as inadequate education, limited access to basic infrastructure and markets, high unpaid work burden and poor rural employment opportunities outside agriculture severely limit women’s opportunities for off-farm work,” the report published on October 9 mentioned.
Also Read: Bihar: A Mushrooming Success with Rural Women at its Centre
The report titled The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems also stated that women in agricultural households remain significantly disadvantaged in landownership compared with men.
Also, it is found that globally, 22 per cent of women lost their jobs in the off-farm segment of agrifood systems in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with only 2 per cent of men.
“While 75 per cent of policy documents relating to agriculture and rural development from 68 countries recognize women’s roles and/or women’s challenges in agriculture and rural development, only 19 percent included policy goals related to gender,” it added.
Also Read: The Women Mechanics of UP Roadways Wield Wrenches and Break Stereotypes
In its key findings, the report mentioned that the roles of women in off-farm work in agrifood systems are more likely to be in less-profitable value chains and activities or on worse terms than those of men due to restrictive traditional social norms or poor access to assets and resources.
“On average, women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men in wage employment in agriculture,” it added.
