English  Français

Gender, Work and Rural Livelihoods: Glimpses from Handloom Sector in Sualkuchi, Assam

Priyanka Koiri, B. Borooah College, Assam

Livelihood diversification can be considered to be multifaceted because of uneven access to resources. Based on the workers of Assam in general and Sualkuchi in particular, this study attempts to analyze the livelihood diversification in a handloom-dependent economy. Along with transformation of the economies, gender relations have also been altered in a diverse and complex manner. The certain capitals such as natural, physical, financial, human and social capital, which act as resources in order to enhance the livelihood and condition of workers, reflect these factors. Across the gender, the share of males and females also play a major role and more than half of the females are participating in majority in weaving sector in the study area. The diversity of livelihoods is an important feature of survival and way of improving income level. The relationship existing between household income and diversification indicates that the possibility of increasing diversification will be higher if higher returns are made from different income sources. Further, to understand the extent of livelihood diversification among workers at household level, results from the Simpson Diversity Index reflects that households in the study area are diversifying their income activities modestly. The study suggests that by addressing the urgent needs of the handloom industry and its growth.

Keywords: Gender, Human capital and labour markets

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session P21.