INTRODUCTION

In rural areas of Pakistan, women play a major role in agricultural production, livestock
rearing and cottage industries and remain busy from dawn to dusk to supply food to men
in fields, fetch water, collect fuel wood and manage livestock. They are equally efficient
in seed bed preparation, tilling, sowing, fertilizer application, fodder cutting, weeding,
intercultural operations, transplanting, husking, threshing, drying, storing cereals and
fodder, selling agricultural commodities and harvesting of all the crops and picking fruits
and vegetables (Luqman et al., 2006).
Rural women have been intensively involved in agriculture and its allied fields.
They performs numerous labor intensive jobs such as weeding, hoeing, grass cutting,
picking, cotton stick collections, separation of seeds from fiber. Women are also expected
to collect wood from fields. Livestock is the primary subsistent activity used to meet
household food need as well as supplement farm income.
Poultry farming is one of the major sources of rural economy. The rate of women in
poultry farming at household level is the central in poultry industry. Rural women play a
significant role in farming. Traditionally, cotton picking is exclusively a female activity
and 89% women are engaged in it (Jamali, 2009).
Women play an indispensable role in farming and in improving the quality of life
in rural areas. Rural women who are obliged to attend to all the household chores,
childrens welfare, nutrition and family cohesion along with farm work, are desperately
driven to adopt a survival strategy to save the family food security from total collapse.. In
spite of social, political and economic constraints, women farmers have proved extremely
resourceful and hardworking in their attempt to ensure household food security (Prakash,
2003).
In developing societies, both men and women play an important role in all fields of life.
Without the participation of women no society can reach substantial level of achievement
and progress. The rural female are playing significant role in agriculture activities. A
study on womens participation in every fields shows that women work 16 to18 hours
daily with no break for rest and recreation. (Aulmas, 2005).

Women play an important role in sustainability of livestock through caring of

animals, grazing, fodder collection, cleaning of sheds to processing milk, whereas fodder
collection, cleaning of sheds to processing milk, whereas fodder production is the
responsibility of men (Ishaq, 2005).
The rural women have to face many problems. They have heavy work load and
pay high concentration of their labor time as unpaid worker. They face restricted access to
improve agriculture productivity e.g. land, credit and extension services. They dont take
part in non-farm business activity. In rural areas, family economy is based on agriculture.
The women seldom receive any cash income from their participation as labor, as their
husbands and male members of family control the money earned by them. Women are
generally unpaid and if paid, then they do not get same amount in same time as men get.
Women work more but it is not recognized. Rural women along with their domestic
responsibilities, also help in rising of property or livestock milking and grazing. Their
contribution in food production is not only through processing but also through drying
vegetables and preparation of pickles. Beside all these activities, rural women of Pakistan
are involved in home management activities i.e. cooking, taking care of children, fetching
water and fuel and other home related activities (Amin, et al., 2009).

SOCIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Pakistan is an agricultural country and its economy depends upon agriculture and
its related fields. Rajan Pur is a remote area and situated at Punjab- Sindh border, where
most of the people depend on agriculture sector. Rural women of Rajanpur take part in
agriculture actively and play vital role in this sector. Keeping in view the important role
of women in agriculture the present study has been designed to explore the participation
of women in agriculture sector in Rajanpur area where agriculture has started very
recently.

Objectives:
The main objectives of the present study are:
1

To explore the socio economic and demographic characteristics of rural female.

To find out the role of female in the field of agriculture sector.

To highlight the problems faced by rural women in agriculture sector.

To suggest some measures for the betterment of rural women in agriculture field.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Thresia (2004) in his paper in (women workers in agriculture) conducted a study of
women agricultural workers. Study revealed that tedious manual activities such a
transplanting of seedlings, weeding, harvesting, transporting, threshing, drying of hay etc.
was wholly done by women. On an average, they got three and half months of work in a
year.
Sindhu and Jayan (2004) in their paper have attempted to study the work
participation of women in coffee cultivation. Stratified sampling method was used and
data were collected from 75 women farmers. Work participation of women engaged in the
cultivation is assessed using WPI (Work Participation Index). WPI scores showed that
gleaming collection, harvesting and weeding are the three farm operations in which
women contribute more than half of the labor required for the particular operation. For
activities such as planting, post-harvest operations and jungle clearing, women contribute
nearly about half of the labor actually required to complete the work.
Rural women play vital roles in every step of the agricultural production stated by
Ozekici et al. (2004). In spite of their substantial contributions to agricultural sector and
other sectors, however, their role however has been overlooked for years due to
sociocultural reasons and their reproductive role. Water management especially is seen as
mens work and women are excluded from this practice, even if there are no any formal
obstacles for women participation. In fact, women deal with water not only for
agricultural purposes but also for daily consumption like drinking, cleaning.
Oyesola (2004) in their research in Oyo-state in ( livestock activities of Yoruba
and Fulani rural women) observed that rural women were involved in the livestock
activities such as rearing of cattle, goat, sheep, guinea fowl, chicken, duck, pig and
production of fresh and processed milk in Oyo-state. They were engaged in these
livestock activities in order to generate income and provide food for their household
consumption.
Rural womens participation rate in agriculture is more than men stated by
Khushk and Hisbani (2004). They help men to mix and prepare pesticide solution.
Million women picking cotton and about 25% of all family workers and 75% of part time
workers are women.70% of the female labor force is agriculture sector.

Alam and Manzoor (2005) concluded that about 70 % of the female force in
Pakistan is in agricultural sector their role being the toughest of all and yet their
contribution goes unnoticed and undocumented. They further stated that millions of
women are involved in on-farm activities like sowing, weeding, hoeing, grass cutting,
cotton stick collection, field cleaning, milking and feeding animals at household level,
separation of seed from fiber, packing and grading of fruit, working in cotton gaining
factories and they also perform their duties of domestic work. Women are also involved
in activities of rearing poultry at household level.
Geological Survey of Pakistan (2005) reported that census of agriculture gave a
reasonably accurate indication of the extent of womens participation in agricultural labor
force of Balochistan. The census estimate constitutes 28.2% of all family workers in
agricultural (crop & livestock) households. Most probably higher for household involved
in livestock sector considering the large contributions that women made all activities
which pertained to livestock in Balochistan.
Qazi (2006) in her study entitled The role of women in agricultural
development emphasized that government should take a policy decision for compulsory
education of women up to matriculation. Agriculture education should also be included in
the curriculum. Government in collaboration with NGOs should take measures to
eliminate poverty in women. Facilities for interest-free small loans should also be
extended to rural women to buy inputs.
Yadav and Kaushik (2006) explored that the total days of different activities in a
season ranged from one day to 20 days, maximum days being spent on weeding followed
by harvesting. The total time spent by women was maximum on harvesting, followed by
weeding, irrigation and storing .Least time was spent on threshing, winnowing, plant
protection, fertilizer application and sowing .The study concludes that as women mostly
do jobs that are tedious, monotonous and requiring manual labor while technical
activities are taken over by men, women need to be trained in technical aspects as well to
handle farming operations independently.
Aulmas (2005) in her study Socio-cultural determinants of womens
participation in agricultural activities founded that the daily wages of unskilled women
labor should be according to the labor laws. For agriculture and livestock management,

government should impart through females extension workers. Government should

upgrade the literacy rate of rural female and provide opportunities to rural females, so
that they can explore their hidden qualities. Mass media should broadcast such program
that creates awareness among rural as well as urban people about the rights of female.
Orthodox attitude of people towards female employment should be changed as well as
government should provide facilities to working women.
Arshad et al. (2010) suggested that awareness should be created among male
members of the society about womens social/civic rights by government, private sector,
religious leaders or through media. Moreover, awareness should also be created among
male members for the benefits of providing opportunities to the female members to
participate actively in making decisions in all aspects of livestock management activities.
They must be educated to decide things mutually and not to dominate in decision making.
The youth (male and female) must be given equal chances to participate in discussion on
various matters relating to livestock management and also to participate in decision
making which will help to reduce the male dominancy at later stages.
Spieldoch (2011) in their paper in (Key role of rural women in achieving food
security) indicated that the majority of working women in the rural sector work in
agriculture. In varying contexts, yet across the board, they face ongoing discrimination.
For example, according to the FAO, and not surprising to most, they still receive
considerably less money than men for the same jobs. They work longer hours and have
more of a work burden in light of their roles as unpaid workers and family care providers.
Although agricultural value chains can offer better wages than traditional agriculture,
women are often temporary or casual workers who are given the labor-intensive,
unskilled tasks and receive lower wages than men. Men are twice as likely as women to
own a business with employees. As business owners, rural women have more difficulty
getting credit and collateral.
Sidhu (2011) viewed that it become imperative to scientifically educate and train
women in specialized skill so that they too can improve and sharpen their skills and
abilities for performance of tasks which need some technical knowledge and skill In view
of the critical role of women in the agriculture as producers, concentrated efforts need to
be made to ensure that benefits of training, extension and various programs reach them in

proportion to their participation pattern. Strategies should be designed to enhance the

capacity of women and empower them to meet the future participatory needs in farm
operations. Special training programmes for women will enhance their skills and
strengthen faith in them for effective and independent performance of farm operations
and help them to make a shift from physically enduring operations to specialized tasks.
Rezazadeh (2011) in their study in (Social effects of rural women's financial selfreliance) suggested that if rural women could provide a job for them by getting credits,
loan and other financial convenience, through their income they can get self-reliance or
financial independency and we will see social, cultural & economic change in village. In
our rural society there is an especial social & cultural kind that its outcome may be
different and in some case inconsistent. With these actions rural women could be in
idealistic economic condition and they could live without dependency to their husband's
income. When rural women became financially independent, it's acceptable to see its
cultural & social outcomes.

METHODOLOGY
Methodology is a discipline to study the behavior of human beings in various
social setting. Methodology techniques and ways of analyzing the observation are
important to sociological pursuits and empirical research. The study was aimed to
investigate female participation in agriculture sector in rural areas of Tehsil Taunsa
Sharif, District Dera Ghazi Khan.

The Universe:
The universe, any set of individual of objects having common observable
characteristics constitute a population or universe. The universe of this study will be
rural areas of District Rajanpur.

The Sample:
A sample refers to small representation of a universe. Total sample for the
present study will be 120 females.
Sampling Technique
Random sampling technique will be used
DATA ANALYZED:
Collected data will be analyzed through SPSS Software packages.
RESEARCH TOOLS
Percentage and Chi-Square will be used.
The percentage was calculated by following formula.
Percentage =

x 100

Where
F = Frequency
N = Total Number of item
Chi-Square
Chi-Square test will be applied to examine relationship between independent and
dependent variables. X2 will be computed by using the following formula.

X2 =

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