Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes Studies from India, China, and the United States (2001) / Chapter Skim
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7. Gender Dimensions of the Relationship between Population and Land Use in the Indian States of Kerala and Haryana
7. Gender Dimensions of the Relationship between Population and Land Use in the Indian States of Kerala and Haryana
Pages 145-172
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From page 145... ...
In a country characterized by poverty and inequality, the complex interplay of these factors can have favorable or adverse effects on different regions and on different classes of society. A group's position in the class hierarchy and in the overall power structure, as well as its environmental vulnerability, are likely to determine its role in the changing patterns of labor utilization.
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From page 146... ...
To answer this question, this study will examine the gender dimension of the relationship between population and land use in two states of India, Kerala and Haryana. More specifically, it will examine the following: · present a suitable framework and hypotheses for examining the gender dimension of the population-land use relationship, with a focus on the Indian experience; · review briefly the demographic change, social development, and gender gap in Kerala and Haryana for 1971-1991; · discuss the pattern of land use changes in Kerala and Haryana for 1971-1991; · explore evidence of gender differentials in employment trends, based on relevant census data; and · examine the direct evidence available from micro studies of these states on the gender dimension of the population-land use relationship.
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From page 147... ...
With growing population density and increasing cash crop production, common land tenure moves gradually to private ownership of land. Because having a large family no longer confers the right to additional land, there are fewer inducements to have a large family.
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From page 148... ...
Female labor force participation rates are consistently lower in the traditional wheat-growing belt of the northwest (Punjab, Haryana) than in the rice-growing eastern and southern states.
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From page 149... ...
By and large, the southern states in India, especially Kerala and Tamil Nadu, have achieved birth and death rates significantly lower than those of some northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. In addition, demographers have noted a North-South dichotomy in the status of women, and they have attributed lower fertility in the southern states to greater female autonomy associated with the different kinship structure and marriage system prevailing in the south (Dyson and Moore, 1983~.
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From page 150... ...
Thus the demographic transition process is likely to increase the supply of female labor. Whether the larger supply will be reflected in the rising female participation rates will depend on the employment opportunities available to women, which, as noted earlier, are influenced by land use and cropping patterns.
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From page 151... ...
In some villages of Gujarat, even a daily search of 4-5 hours no longer yields enough wood for fuel (Agarwal,1988~. Given the limited rights in private property resources, common property resources have been for rural women and children among the few independent sources of subsistence.
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From page 152... ...
· Fertility declined rapidly in Kerala from 1971 to 1991 (the crude birth rate from 31 to 18 and the total fertility rate from 4 to 1.8) , which has helped the state to reach below-replacement-level fertility.
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From page 153... ...
b Kerala 4.1 2.8 1.8 Haryana 6.7 5.0 4.0 Infant mortality rate (IMR) C Kerala 58 37 17 Haryana 72 101 75 Life expectancyd Male Kerala 65.2 66.8 Haryana 61.4 63.4 Female Kerala 69.9 72.3 Haryana 59.6 62.0 Couple protection ratee Kerala 15.2 29.7 55.4 Haryana 12.2 28.3 55.9 a "Scheduled castes/tribes" are socially disadvantaged groups that are given some concessions by law (for example, educational opportunities and jobs)
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From page 154... ...
· In 1991 Haryana's death rate was almost as low as that of Kerala, but its birth rate was almost double. Fertility in Haryana is higher than that of Kerala despite the almost same level of couple protection rate, indicating greater use of temporary birth control methods in Haryana.
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From page 155... ...
, a study based on topographical maps (Chattopadhyay, 1985) clearly shows a strong downward trend in forest vegetation cover (from 44 percent in 1905, to 28 percent in 1965, to 17 percent in 1983~.1 The available official statistics on cropping patterns reveal that, although the area under most crops increased up to 1975, the area under food crops, especially under rice, declined after 1975, and the area under tree crops such as rubber and coconut and export-oriented crops such as pepper, ginger, and coffee increased substantially.
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From page 156... ...
Because the matrilineal system is an important feature of Kerala society, it is important to see how these aspects have affected the position of women there. Punjab and Haryana, the "Wheat Bowl" of northern India, are the country's key Green Revolution areas.
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From page 157... ...
All of these changes in Haryana especially the expansion of the area under labor-intensive crops such as rice, the problems with drinking water, the falling water table in the tube well-irrigated area, waterlogging in the canal-irrigated areas, and the decline in common property resourcesare gender-sensitive and are likely to have significant implications for women's work and health. OCCUPATIONAL BREAKDOWN BY GENDER This section, which is based on an analysis of census data in India, presents findings that demonstrate a gender gap in the relative increase in rural workers in Kerala and Haryana and the unbalanced sex ratios of workers in various occupational categories (Kulkarni, 1997~.
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From page 158... ...
During the same period, male agricultural laborers saw their numbers increase from 1.20 million to 1.44 million, while females in the same category saw their numbers decrease from 0.72 million to 0.68 million. The differences between Haryana and Kerala become even clearer in Table 7-4, which compares the percentage change in the number of male and female workers in each category and also compares the direction and magnitude of change over the period 1981-1991 with that of the earlier decade.
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From page 159... ...
l 5a., be v)
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From page 160... ...
By contrast, in Kerala, even though the number of rural male workers absorbed in agriculture increased substantially, the number of females declined. This finding suggests not only that Kerala's agriculture did not absorb any more new female workers, but also that some of those working in agriculture had to find work outside the agricultural sector.
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From page 161... ...
The decline in female agricultural employment could perhaps be attributed to the rapid changes in cropping patterns and the shift from paddy cultivation to coconut. Moreover, the economic forces behind this change may well have something to do with the rising price of coconut, from Rs.
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From page 162... ...
Agrarian struggles and a series of land reform legislation in the second half of the twentieth century brought about changes by which a fair deal could not be denied to the less advantaged. leffrey (1993)
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From page 163... ...
This finding is reflected in the shift from cultivation of rice to coconut or from coconut to tapioca or rubber. Overall, several factors have affected the participation of Kerala women in economic activity: the decline in wage labor opportunities in the agricultural sector because of changes in the cropping pattern, the boom in construction-related employment, rising wages, improved access to a university education, the possibilities of outmigration to Gulf countries, and a drastic decline in fertility which has made more women available for jobs.
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From page 164... ...
Because the observations about big farmers are based on small numbers, not too much should be read into the reversal of the gender gap from own labor to hired labor. According to Table 7-8, the gender gap in the utilization of own labor is unfavorable to women for all crops.
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From page 165... ...
provide more insight into the gender dimension of these problems. Chowdhary has observed that in Haryana the dominant cultural norms did not hinder women's participation in manual work outside their own fields.
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From page 166... ...
. Here again, because of the decline in common property resources, women from economically weaker households in both the dry and the Green Revolution areas find life harder.
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From page 167... ...
167 ._, 5o 5._, 5bC ¢ be o V)
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From page 168... ...
Thus, despite the enormous rise in productivity in Haryana, women, especially women wage earners, have remained adversely affected. More specifically, in the moderate- and low-technology regions of Haryana there are essentially no permanent female agricultural laborers, while in the hightechnology areas there are some permanent female laborers, but their percentage is only about one-ninth of the corresponding percentage for men (Table 7-10~.
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From page 169... ...
In Haryana, where productivity has increased tremendously and where rice is emerging as a cash crop, women have a greater role in productive work. Yet their position continues to remain subordinate to men, who do the more mechanized jobs.
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From page 170... ...
1989. Depletion of common property resources in India: Micro level evidence.
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From page 171... ...
1997. Kerala's Demographic Transition: Determinants and Consequences.
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