Gender Disparities in Dairy Farming Enterprise

The present study aimed to understand the gender disparities in participation, decision-making and access to training and extension activities in dairy farming enterprise in district Rupnagar, Punjab. For the present study 80 farmers and farm women were selected and interviewed using structured interview schedule. The data analysis indicated that majority of women participate in activities which were labour intensive. On the other hand majority of men participate in activities such as sale of milk and sale of milch animals. Although their participation is higher in labour intensive jobs when it comes to decision making women have little say in important decision such as selection of animals or selling and buying of animals, wherein men are major decision makers. Majority of women play an active role in decision related to animal feeding and family health care. The role of women in decisions of lesser importance may be due to their lesser accessibility to training and extension activities related to dairy farming. This indicator was ranked at first position in case of men while in case of women it was last thus pointing towards gender disparity.