Gender Involvement in Decision Making of on Farm and off Farm Activities

In Indian agrarian system, due to gender bias, farmwomen, a significant contributor in various activities is being kept away from the role of decision maker. Hence, in order to explore the gender involvement in making decisions related to various on farm and off farm activities, the present study were conducted in Jhansi district of Bundelkhand. Two hundred farm families from eight villages were interviewed for the study purpose. The results clearly showed that in food, feed and fodder production male farmers mainly take 23 decisions out of total 25 decisions. In case of animal husbandry and household aspect, most of the decisions i.e. 10 out of 14 decisions and 12 out of 16 decisions were mainly taken by both male and female farmers by consulting each other. The overall participation pattern in animal husbandry and household aspect also indicated that both male and female farmers by consulting each other take most of the decision 49.21%, 58.40% respectively. But in case of food, feed and fodder production related decisions, male farmers were dominating and taking most of the decisions (57.92%). The participation of female farmers was found only 4.32 percent, which indicated their low participation. Therefore, it is recommended here to empower the farmwomen by providing latest scientific knowledge and skill through effective and appropriate channels so that they can help, motivate and influence the male farmers in taking accurate decisions for making the business more profitable.