Agricultural development and gender inequality in rural labour market in Odisha

Women are discriminated against in the labour market by engaging in low-paid and low-status jobs and paying lower wages than that of their male counterparts for similar work. This paper analyses gender inequality in the rural labour market in Odisha in comparison to the agriculturally advanced state of Punjab and all India. The paper uses data from Reports on Employment and Unemployment in India published by the National Sample Survey Office over the period from 1972–73 to 2011–12. Data on wages have been collected from various issues of Rural Labour Enquiry Report on Employment and Unemployment of Rural Labour Households, published by Labour Bureau of India. Based on these data, the paper finds that even with agricultural development and technological change, gender-based wage differential persists and there is a need to reduce the wage disparity between male and female by enforcing the laws and regulations on equal pay for equal work. The planners, policy makers and development practitioners in India are required to formulate appropriate policies, programmes and strategies for generation of additional employment for females and removing gender-disparity in work allocation and wage payment in rural labour market.