Changing Work Patterns of Rural Indian Women in the Context of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

Nancy Sebastian, Jawaharlal Nehru University

This study analyses the implications of MNREGA on Rural women workforce participation as opposed to other types of work and analyses the shift in work patterns among the Rural women. Utilizing the two waves of IHDS in 2005 & 2012, it has been found that women workers engaged in MNREGA are primarily in age-group 40-60 years, illiterate, Dalit/Adivasi group and apart from targeting the economically and socially backward classes MNREGA also serves as a job option for rural women rather than being out of work. Multinomial regression on participation in different types of work showed unearned income and married status as factors discouraging women from participating in any work. OBC are less likely to participate in non-agricultural work as compared to no-work. Illiterates have higher probability of working in any work except in non-farm work. Thus MNREGA unlike other forms of Non-farm work is promoting participation across various socio-economic groups.

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Presented in Poster Session 8: Economy, Labor Force, Education, and Inequality/Gender, Race and Ethnicity