ABSTRACT:
The woman of the 21st century is not only housewife but in this era the woman coming out of the house and giving her contribution in the society and economy. Which is the result of the cumulative and interactive effect of the sustained efforts of government, the women’s movement and the civil society at various fronts over the last three decades? In this process, an active and grassroots level leadership is emerging among women. The results of Census 2001, indicates a change in female literacy from 22 % in 1971 to 54 % in 2001 in India. Now, modern woman is participating in the panchayat and municipal elections. Also the female work participation rate increased from 19.7 % in 1981 to 25.7 % in 2001. These indicate the changes in the role of women in the society and economy. Literacy and Work Participation of Women in India: Women’s contribution to agriculture in terms of the number of tasks performed and time spent, is greater than men. “A case study conducted in the Indian Himalayas, found that on a one hectare farm, a pair of bullocks works for 1,064 hours, a man for 1,212 hours and a woman for 3,485 hors in a year.” This means woman works approximately three times more than pair of bullocks and 2.75 times more than man in a year. But now the contribution of women in other sectors is increased due to education. The literacy rate of female increased from 29.76 % in 1981 to 54.16 % in 2001 in India (Table-1). This factor affects the female participation in income-earning activities, not only will there be more income for the family, but gender inequality would also be reduced.