Increasing Gender Bias in Rural Economy of Madhya Pradesh

In spite of the constitutional guarantee regarding social, economic and political equality, the dynamics of economic change in rural Madhya Pradesh has adversely affected the employment opportunities for women over time. With the employment squeeze compared to population increase, they were the first to be thrown out in both, agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. The adverse impact on female employment was not uniform in all the crop zones of the state, the women in wheat-growing areas suffering greater loss of employment opportunities, compared to those in rice and commercial crop growing areas. The women also suffered casualisation of employment, further affecting adversely their economic and social status. In short, the developmental process in rural Madhya Pradesh has strengthened gender bias against women.