Questioning the ‘Two-leaves-and-a-bud’ narrative: Women’s life in the tea gardens

The tea industry in India is the second-largest employer and largest recruiter of female labourers in terms of percentage share. Currently, when the female labour force participation (FLFP) rate is ebbing down globally with the biggest democratic country being no exception, the FLFP is on a rise within this industry. Despite this fact, the condition of female labourers is precarious in the north-eastern regions of this industry in India. The divide between the north and south of this industry in India is due to the difference in wages; the north follows a tripartite agreement whereas, in the south, it is determined through revision of the Minimum Wages Act. The exploitation of labour by defying all sorts of labour laws and how women labourers get accustomed to this is the key topic of discussion. This article also explores the driving factors of the tea industry being the largest employer of women despite the globally shrinking percentage of women’s employment.