Female Work Participation in Himachal Pradesh: A Tehsil Level Study

By : Anil Kumar , B.R. Thakur , Puran Chand , Dimple Kumari

Page No: 383-405

Abstract Women constitute about half of the population in the state of Himachal Pradesh, so their participation in the economic activities plays an important role in the development of the economy of the state. Participation of females in economic activities is a positive sign for the progress of society. This study attempts to study the trends in female work participation and gender disparity at the tehsil level in Himachal Pradesh using the Census of India data. This study analyses the data at the interval of 20 years to examine the trends in female work participation and gender disparity at the tehsil level in Himachal Pradesh for the 1971, 1991, and 2011 Census years. To find out the gender disparity in work participation, Sopher’s Disparity Index has been used. The findings of female work participation and gender disparity in the study area have been portrayed through maps and tables. The study exhibits that the female work participation rate at the state level has shown an increasing trend. In 1971, it was about 21% which increased to 34.82% in 1991 and 44.82% in 2011. The study reveals that there were about 34% of the tehsils had more than 40% females enumerated as workers. The study observed a decline in gender disparity in work participation at the state level. In 1971, it was 0.49% in 1991 it decreased to 0.21% and further to 0.16% in 2011, indicating the improving status of females in the state. The decline of gender disparity may be attributed to rising literacy and, consequently share of females in service sectors. Secondly, the shift of male cultivators to other worker categories has also been the reason for the increase in female workers as cultivators.

Authors
Anil Kumar: M.Phil Student, Department of Geography, HPU Shimla.
B.R. Thakur: Associate Professor, Deptt. Of Geography HPU Shimla.
Puran Chand: ICCSR Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Geography, HPU Shimla.
Dimple Kumari: Research Scholar, Dept. of Geography, HPU Shimla
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/ATNAGI.2025.45.02.10