International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 7, Issue 4 (July-August 2025) Submit your research before last 3 days of August to publish your research paper in the issue of July-August.
Submit Research Paper Join as a Reviewer

Plagiarism is checked by the leading plagiarism checker TurnItIn

Call for Paper

Volume 7 Issue 4
July-August 2025

Submit your research paper

Indexing Partners
Academia Advanced Sciences Index Bielefeld Academic Search Engine CiteSeer DRJI Google Scholar Independent Search Engine & Directory Network ISI (International Scientific Indexing) Issuu Mendeley Research Networks
RefSeek ResearcherId - Thomson Reuters ResearchGate Scirus Scribd Semantic Scholar UTeM - Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Wiki for Call for Papers WorldCat Zenodo

Rural Women at Work: A Comparative Study of Sikarpur Gram Panchayat in Jalpaiguri and Hatighisa Gram Panchayat in Darjeeling Districts of West Bengal

Author(s) Dr. Ratna Sarkar, Ms. Piyashi Guha
Country India
Abstract This study examines the occupational status and socio-economic conditions of rural women in two Gram Panchayats of West Bengal namely Sikarpur (in Jalpaiguri district) and Hatighisa (in Darjeeling district) based on survey data from 200 women aged 25 to 55 years. The findings reveal that women in both regions make significant contributions to agriculture, informal work and domestic labour though their roles remain under-recognized. Despite improvements in literacy and Self-Help Group (SHG) participation disparities exist across age, caste and income levels. Hatighisa shows higher awareness of government schemes and better female work participation while Sikarpur demonstrates better educational access and slightly higher income diversity. Economic necessity, not personal empowerment is the primary driver of employment of women with most jobs being temporary and low-paid. Childcare responsibilities particularly among younger women and lack of time among older women remain main barriers to employment. Women face structural challenges such as limited mobility, education and access to stable livelihoods especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The study highlights the need for targeted interventions including skill development, improved childcare facilities, awareness programs and sustainable employment opportunities. These measures are essential to enhance women's economic agency, improve quality of life and promote their active role in rural development and local governance.
Keywords Rural Women, Occupational Status, Economic Empowerment
Field Sociology > Economics
Published In Volume 7, Issue 4, July-August 2025
Published On 2025-07-06
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i04.50294
Short DOI https://doi.org/g9s9gx
View / Download PDF File

Share this



E-ISSN 2582-2160
CrossRef

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

IJFMR DOI prefix is
10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads
Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 4Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 3Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 2

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA Open Access

About IJFMR
Fees & Payment
Current Issue
Publication Archive 		Submit Research Paper
Track Submission Status
Publication Guidelines
Publication Ethics
Peer Review & Plagiarism 		Join as a Reviewer
Editors & Reviewers
Reviewer Referral Program
Get Reviewer Membership Certi. 		Website/Journal Policies
Usage Policy
Content Policies
Privacy Policy
Contact Us +91-9687-828-838 editor@ijfmr.com