Women in India

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Since the times immemorial, worth of the work done or services rendered by women has not been recognised. No serious efforts, except the occasional attempts clouded by bias and misconception, were ever made to evolve a reliable method to calculate women’s contribution to the economic development of society. Adam Smith, the father of Economics, recognised the women’s contribution to the economic development when he analysed the concept of ‘use value’ and ‘exchange value’. Unpaid household labour of a woman, who is treated as controller of the home, is generally ignored as what she creates is the ‘use value’. A woman, who produces ‘use value’ through household work is considered to be unemployed and not contributing to the economic development when compared with a woman who produces ‘exchange value’ through her paid employment, ignoring the fact that hours of work put in by the house lady are much higher than the ones endured by paid lady. Women in India are leaving the four walls their homes to venture out in search of work. The underlying reasons may vary with their socio-economic status. A majority of them belong to middle and lower socioeconomic strata of society and they work due to sheer economic necessity, especially those belonging to the lower socio-economic class. Women from upper socio-economic strata of society may do so in pursuit of a career so as to be independent. The prevailing socio-cultural environment puts women on all those jobs that are deemed more suitable to them, like, a secretary, a clerk, a school teacher, a nurse, etc. Generally, a woman is not expected to take up the job of a pilot or a truck driver.