Women's Work and Their Role in Mountain Farming Systems: A Study of Darjeeling Hills Of West Bengal

Women’s involvement in economic activities has intrigued scholars as they searched for possible explanations as to why some women choose to work and others don’t. Nevertheless, given the fact that all women work, within or outside their homes and with or without remuneration, the primary issue is that of recognition of women’s labour and their contributions to the process of economic and human development. Since much of women’s work is mostly confined within the precincts of the household and is rarely exchanged for a price in the market, it is overlooked in national income statistics which takes into account only remunerative work. The fact that a significant proportion of women’s work especially in subsistence economies of developing countries is unpaid hence “invisible”, causes women’s work to be of lesser importance and secondary in nature vis-à-vis men’s work, the implication being women’s disadvantaged and inferior status within the household and in society. The high work participation of women observed in hill regions is not an indication of their improved status, but reflects their drudgery and hard labour as most are employed as family farm labour rather than wage labour. The present book is an attempt to bring to light the indispensible role of women in the rural hill economy of the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal by portrayal of their involvement in diverse range of activities essential to the sustenance and well being of their households.  The study attests to the disadvantaged position of women as is evident in their disproportionate work burden and unequal access to productive resources and wherewithal leading to lower efficiency and productivity; and also makes some suggestions for adoption of  gender sensitive measures to ensure gender equity and holistic development of the region. The book will supplement the literature on women’s work and will be particularly useful for researchers to take up further investigations in this realm. 

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