Male female wage gap differentials in the informal labour market—a case study of Amritsar

The 11th five year plan aimed at gender inclusive growth calls for equitable allocation of resources, equality in employment opportunities and income earnings and independence in decision making to women from all sorts of society. The female workers in the informal labour market in the urban as well as rural areas working in the same occupation and carrying out the same nature of work for equal hours get fewer wages than their male counterparts. The present study attempts to analyse the extent of wage gap in different sectors of rural and urban areas of Amritsar. The analysis shows that the gender wage differential has been found in case of all the occupations selected for the sample. This wage differential has its significant basis in caste, location, marital status, experience, health status, activity, level of skill of the females both in case of regular and casual workers in agricultural and non-agricultural sector of both rural and urban areas.