Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
ISSN : 2230-9578 | Websi e: h ps://j d b.o g Volume-17, Issue-9(V)| Sep embe 2025
114
Employmen Challenges o Scheduled Cas e Women in Ag icul u al and Non-
Ag icul u al Sec o s Yasmeen Ha un Mulla1, D . R. G. Ko abu2
1Resea ch Schola , Depa men o Economics,
Shi aji Uni e si y, Kolhapu .
2Associa e P o esso and Resea ch GuideDepa men o Economics,
D. D. Shinde Sa ka College, Kolhapu .
Email: yasmeenmulla201[email p o ec ed]
Manusc ip ID:
JRD -2025-170928
ISSN: 2230-9578
Volume 17
Issue 9 (V)
Pp. 114-117
Sep . 2025
Submi ed:15 Aug. 2025
Re ised: 25 Aug. 2025
Accep ed: 10 Sep . 2025
Published: 30 Sep . 2025
Abs ac A e 75 yea s o India's independence, he de elopmen o Scheduled Cas e women has no
been achie ed. E en oday, hese women ha e o ace many p oblems. Scheduled Cas e women ace many
p oblems in a ious ields o employmen . This s udy mainly s udies he obs acles aced by Scheduled
Cas e women in he ag icul u al and non-ag icul u al sec o s. Seconda y sou ces such as PLFS (2023-24),
NFHS-5 (2019-21) ha e been used o his s udy. Employmen plays an impo an ole in he de elopmen
o Scheduled Cas e women. The de elopmen o hese women can be achie ed h ough an inc ease in
employmen . This can be achie ed by s udying he majo obs acles aced by his employmen . The
conclusion shows ha landlessness, mechaniza ion, low wages, insecu e employmen , disc imina ion,
occupa ional seg ega ion a e he majo challenges. These challenges c ea e obs acles o he socio-
economic de elopmen o Scheduled Cas e women. Fo his, a s a egic solu ion plan is equi ed in a eas
such as educa ion, skill-based aining, equal pay, land igh s, e c. Measu es such as hese will inc ease
he employmen pa icipa ion o Scheduled Cas e women and help imp o e hei socio-economic s a us.
Keywo ds: Schedule Cas e women, Ag icul u e, Non Ag icul u e, Challenges, Employmen .
In oduc ion
The Scheduled Cas es popula ion is seen in la ge numbe s in India. The Scheduled Cas es
a e seen a he lowes le el in he cas e sys em, and hese cas es ace disad an ages e e ywhe e.
When conside ing he women o he communi y, hey a e conside ed less han he men o his
communi y. These women ha e o endu e disc imina ion in socie y, as well as in hei own
communi y, due o cas e and gende . Al hough he numbe o his g oup is la ge in India, hei
pa icipa ion in wo k is no seen as much as i should be, he i s eason o his is he a i ude
o he socie y owa ds his g oup. Along wi h he de elopmen o India, his communi y is also
seen de eloping, bu he pace o his de elopmen is e y slow. The pa icipa ion o his
communi y in employmen is seen, bu many p oblems a e seen in he employmen o women,
which a ec s hei de elopmen . Employmen is an impo an ool o gi e his communi y a
place in socie y. I is necessa y o inc ease he pa icipa ion o women om he Scheduled
Cas es in employmen . Employmen will change he li ing s anda ds, con idence will help in
gaining a place o espec in socie y. Women om Scheduled Cas es a e seen pa icipa ing in
ag icul u al and non-ag icul u al employmen . Thei pa icipa ion in ag icul u e is high in u al
a eas, bu in hese a eas hey ha e o wo k as low-wage, seasonal employmen and as labo e s in
ag icul u e, while in u ban a eas hey a e seen wo king as labo e s in domes ic indus ies,
cons uc ion sec o and in o mally. Ve y ew o hem ge good jobs. The p esen pape is use ul
o unde s anding in de ail he p oblems hey ace while wo king in ag icul u al and non-
ag icul u al sec o s. Unde s anding he p oblems and aking app op ia e measu es o add ess
hem can help in hei upli men .
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Add ess o co espondence:
Yasmeen Ha un Mulla, Resea ch Schola , Depa men o Economics, Shi aji Uni e si y, Kolhapu
How o ci e his a icle:
Y. H. Mulla, R. G. Ko abu. (2025).Employmen Challenges o Scheduled Cas e Women in
Ag icul u al and Non-Ag icul u al Sec o s. Jou nal o Resea ch & De elopmen , 17(9), 114-
117
O iginal A icle
Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
ISSN : 2230-9578 | Websi e: h ps://j d b.o g Volume-17, Issue-9(V)| Sep embe 2025
115
Objec i e
To s udy he majo challenges aced by Scheduled Cas e women in employmen in ag icul u al and non-ag icul u al
sec o s.
Re iew o Li e a u e
1) D . K. S eeni asa Mu hy, D . M. Sub amanyam, P. Neelaya ha chi (2022) ha e s udied he p oblems aced by
women en ep eneu s o Scheduled Cas es in some selec ed dis ic s o ou s a es o India namely Andh a P adesh,
O issa, Tamil Nadu, Ke ala. Women en ep eneu s ace di icul ies in e ms o inancial capi al, aw ma e ials,
ma ke ing, and sho age o labo , in as uc u e and machine y. The main eason o hese p oblems is he lack o
educa ion and aining among women o his communi y. To educe hese p oblems, he go e nmen needs o p o ide
educa ional oppo uni ies and p ope aining o Scheduled Cas e women.
2) Vijaykuma Mu hy, D . Jaikishan Thaku (2015) ha e s udied he p oblems and challenges aced by Scheduled
Cas e women in Gulba ga dis ic o Ka na aka. E en oday in he 21s cen u y, Scheduled Cas e women a e dep i ed
in he socie y due o cas e, gende , po e y. The p esen s udy concluded ha unemployed housewi es had o ace mo e
p oblems compa ed o sel -employed o employed women. O cou se, employmen has gi en Scheduled Cas e women
s a us, equali y and espec in he socie y along wi h economic suppo .
3) Acco ding o Sh i. Sanjay Sande (2018), in oday's mode n imes, he p oblems aced by women o Scheduled
Cas es a he social and economic le el ha e been e iewed. Women o Scheduled Cas es a e di ec ly o indi ec ly
disc imina ed agains by he uppe cas e classes in e ms o social, economic and educa ional igh s. Women o his
cas e ha e o ace low-quali y wo k, low wages, humilia ion, ha assmen . E o s a e made o keep women o
Scheduled Cas es away om social jus ice. Special e o s a e being made o achie e he educa ional and economic
in e es s o Scheduled Cas es. Bu as a weake sec ion, hey s ill ha e o ace many p oblems in he socie y.
4) Manunayaka G., K. Ponnusamy (2023) ha e s udied he di icul ies and challenges aced in he e o s o empowe
he Scheduled Cas e a ming communi y h ough he ag icul u al sec o . Since ancien imes, he Scheduled Cas e
communi y has aced exclusion and disc imina ion. A la ge g oup o his communi y seems o be in he ag icul u al
sec o . Bu obs acles such as lack o own land, lack o in o ma ion abou p oduc ion, lack o p oduc i e asse s seem o
be hinde ing hei empowe men . Such a ming amilies can be empowe ed wi h he help o capaci y, skill de elopmen
and policies.
Me hodology
The p esen s udy is comple ely based on seconda y sou ces. Seconda y da a has been used in he o m o
na ional le el epo s like Census o India, Pe iodic Labou Fo ce Su ey (PLFS-2023-24), NSSO Repo (2011-12),
and Na ional Family Heal h Su ey (NFSH-5). Along wi h his, he s udy has been based on go e nmen epo s,
esea ch a icles.
Employmen Challenges o Scheduled Cas e Women
Scheduled Cas es a e conside ed o be a g oup o socie y ha is s ill no ully de eloped, his g oup is in di e
need o de elopmen . Bu due o he cas e sys em, his socie y has o ace many p oblems. E en a e almos 75 yea s
o independence, Scheduled Cas es, mainly women, ha e o s uggle o ge espec and employmen in he socie y.
Despi e he p o isions o he Cons i u ion, wel a e policies and schemes o equal jus ice o Scheduled Cas es, hei
pa icipa ion in employmen is seen as low. Mainly in he case o Scheduled Cas es, he pa icipa ion a e in
employmen is seen as e y low.
Table - Labou Fo ce Pa icipa ion Ra e (%) o Scheduled Cas e es ima ed om PLFS (2021-22), PLFS (2022-23),
and PLFS (2023-24)
Yea
SC Men (%)
SC Women (%)
2021-22
56.9
25.0
2022-23
57.3
28.9
2023-24
57.7
32.2
Sou ce: Annual Repo , PLFS (2023-24)
The Pe iodic Labou Fo ce Su ey (PLFS) shows he labou o ce pa icipa ion a e o Scheduled Cas es o
he las 3 yea s. The labou o ce pa icipa ion a e o women is e y low compa ed o o he social g oups as well as
Scheduled Cas e men. The da a o he las 3 yea s shows ha he labou o ce pa icipa ion a e o women and men
among Scheduled Cas es is inc easing, bu his inc ease is happening a a slow pace. These da a show ha he
pa icipa ion a e o women among Scheduled Cas es is much lowe han ha o men. I is clea om he abo e able
ha he labo o ce pa icipa ion a e o women is low. The pa icipa ion is e en lowe in u ban a eas compa ed o u al
a eas. The main pu pose o collec ing his da a is o show he pa icipa ion a e o women in he labo o ce
pa icipa ion a e. The s udy e ealed ha due o social, economic and cul u al cons ain s, he pa icipa ion o women
om Scheduled Cas es in employmen is low. These p oblems ha e been e iewed and ca ego ized in o ag icul u al
and non-ag icul u al sec o s.
Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
ISSN : 2230-9578 | Websi e: h ps://j d b.o g Volume-17, Issue-9(V)| Sep embe 2025
116
Employmen Challenges in Ag icul u e Sec o
1) Lack o Land Owne ship
Acco ding o he Na ional Family Heal h Su ey (NFHS-5), only 30.2% o women in Scheduled Cas es own land. This
is e y less compa ed o women o o he social g oups. E en among he land ha hese women own, mos o he land
seems o be join ly owned. In which he land is egis e ed in he name o husband and wi e o o he amily membe s. In
his way, Scheduled Cas e women ge o mal igh s o land owne ship, bu in eali y, men ha e he igh o con ol and
make decisions abou i . Due o lack o land owne ship, Scheduled Cas e women ha e o wo k in he ag icul u al sec o
o low wages. This a ec s hei social and economic de elopmen .
2) Low wages
The bigges challenge aced by women in ag icul u e is low wages. Despi e hei high pa icipa ion as wo ke s in he
uno ganized sec o , hey ha e o wo k o low wages and in insecu e places, whe e hei income is much lowe han
a e age. Al hough women in u al India a e mo e in ol ed in ag icul u e han men, hey a e seen wo king o much
lowe wages han men, and he wage gap is mo e isible among women om Scheduled Cas es due o cas e and
gende -based social disc imina ion. Lack o land owne ship, lack o skills, seasonal na u e o ag icul u e and
dependence on employmen in he uno ganized sec o , which leads o low wage le els. As a esul , Scheduled Cas e
women ea n less. This hinde s hei economic independence and achie ing a espec able posi ion in socie y.
3) Mechaniza ion
Mechaniza ion plays an impo an ole in he ag icul u al sec o . Fo example, i is used o inc ease he
p ocess, p oduc i i y and e iciency o c op p oduc ion in he ag icul u al sec o , bu i c ea es a challenging si ua ion
o he employmen o women wo king in he ag icul u al sec o , especially hose belonging o he Scheduled Cas es, in
u al a eas. Women wo king in he ag icul u al sec o in u al a eas we e in ol ed in ag icul u al ela ed wo k such as
sowing, plan ing, ha es ing, h eshing and so on. Due o mode n echnology, wo k in he ag icul u al sec o is done by
machines. As a esul , women's pa icipa ion in employmen is seen o ha e dec eased. Mainly mechanized wo k is
conside ed male-cen ic. Due o which women mainly s ay away om women om he ma ginalized classes. Along
wi h his, women a me s also ace disc imina ion in p o iding loans o pu chasing new echnology. ((FAO), 2011)
Mechaniza ion has inc eased p oduc i i y in he ag icul u al sec o , bu women belonging o he Scheduled Cas es see a
lack o employmen oppo uni ies in he ag icul u al sec o due o gende disc imina ion.
4) Seasonal Employmen
The e is no employmen in he ag icul u al sec o h oughou he yea . Employmen in he ag icul u al sec o is
seasonal. Employmen in he ag icul u al sec o is limi ed o wo k like sowing, ha es ing, weeding, e c., depending on
he season. This makes i di icul o ge wo k h oughou he yea . Due o his, women ge employmen o a sho
pe iod o ime and also ge income du ing he same pe iod. This p oblem is bigge in he case o Scheduled Cas e
women, because hese women a e mainly in ol ed in he ag icul u al sec o , ha is, in he uno ganized sec o . Whe e
hey ge seasonal employmen . In gene al, hey ge less income. Seasonal employmen leads o a dec ease in income,
which in u n leads o a dec ease in hei social s a us. O e all, many ac o s like low wages, disc imina ion,
employmen in he uno ganized sec o a ec hei economic and social s a us.
Employmen Challenges in Non-Ag icul u e Sec o
1) Lack o educa ion and skills
Lack o educa ion and lack o skills c ea e a majo obs acle o Scheduled Cas e women o ge employmen in
non-ag icul u al sec o s. Minimum li e acy, skills, aining and echnical knowledge a e equi ed o ge employmen in
non-ag icul u al indus ies and businesses. Howe e , due o po e y and disc imina ion, he pa icipa ion o he
disad an aged sec ions o he socie y is less due o educa ion. As a esul , hey canno ge skilled and sui able
employmen . Due o his, hey ha e o depend on low-paid employmen like domes ic wo k, cons uc ion, cleaning and
o he insecu e jobs. Lack o educa ion and skills no only a ec s hei p o essionalism bu also hei social s a us. Due
o all hese ac o s, Scheduled Cas e women ha e o be dep i ed o he newly c ea ed oppo uni ies in he economy.
2) Low wages and insecu e employmen
Low wages and insecu e employmen a e common in he non-ag icul u al sec o . Due o lack o educa ion,
Scheduled Cas e women a e in ol ed in in o mal jobs such as domes ic wo k, cons uc ion, b ick kilns, and sani a ion
wo ke s in he non-ag icul u al sec o . These jobs a e cha ac e ized by low wages, lack o con ac s, and lack o
secu i y bene i s such as p o iden und, ma e ni y lea e and heal h insu ance. Scheduled Cas e women expe ience
hese p oblems mo e acu ely han o he social g oups. The e is no job secu i y in uno ganized employmen , and hey
a e mo e likely o lose hei jobs. Due o p oblems in he labo ma ke , hese women ha e o ace po e y, which a ec s
hei economic independence and social s a us.
3) Occupa ional seg ega ion
Occupa ional seg ega ion e e s o he o ganiza ion o occupa ions on he basis o cas e and gende . In he
non-ag icul u al sec o , educa ion and skills a e ac o s ha con ibu e o occupa ional seg ega ion, bu social and
Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
ISSN : 2230-9578 | Websi e: h ps://j d b.o g Volume-17, Issue-9(V)| Sep embe 2025
117
cul u al ac o s also play a ole. Occupa ional seg ega ion is seen as a ba ie o employmen o hese women, who a e
conside ed o be socially ma ginalized g oups in he Scheduled Cas es. While women om he so-called ad anced
g oups o socie y a e di ided in o well-paid jobs and ecei e wage bene i s, women om he Scheduled Cas es a e
engaged in low-paid and insecu e occupa ions. This unequal dis ibu ion, coupled wi h gende -based wage inequali y,
seems o ha e pu hem a a disad an age in he wo kplace. (Rammohan A.) Thus, Scheduled Cas e women ace bo h
cas e-based and gende -based disad an ages in occupa ional seg ega ion. O en, hey ha e he skills o do he igh job,
bu in u ban a eas, hey a e limi ed by pe sonal connec ions, which seems o be pa ly due o social p essu e.
4) Disc imina ion a Wo k
The bigges p oblem in non-ag icul u al sec o s is disc imina ion a wo k. Disc imina ion agains women a
wo k is a pe sis en phenomenon in India. I includes gende disc imina ion, low wages, occupa ional seg ega ion, lack
o leade ship oppo uni ies, ha assmen a wo k, and disc imina ion in employmen and p omo ion. All hese ha e an
impac on women's pa icipa ion in he p o essional sec o , economic independence, and hei well-being. (Ms. Bhonsle
S, 2025) This disc imina ion is seen in bo h ag icul u al and non-ag icul u al sec o s. They a e gi en less p es igious
jobs compa ed o uppe cas e women o men. Such disc imina ion a wo k limi s he spi i ual ad ancemen o
Scheduled Cas e women. I also leads o a dec ease in hei sel -con idence. Due o such inequali ies, he de elopmen
o Scheduled Cas e women is delayed.
Conclusion
This esea ch has s udied he main p oblems aced by Scheduled Cas e women wo king in ag icul u e and
non-ag icul u al sec o s. In employmen , hese women ace di icul ies in bo h ag icul u al and non-ag icul u al sec o s,
which a e el mo e acu ely han women om o he communi ies and c ea e obs acles o hei de elopmen . Women
wo king in ag icul u e ace p oblems such as lack o land owne ship, low wages, mechaniza ion, seasonal employmen ,
while non-ag icul u al educa ion and skills, insecu e employmen , occupa ional seg ega ion and disc imina ion a he
wo kplace. Acco ding o he Na ional Family Heal h Su ey (NFHS-5), only 30.2% o Scheduled Cas e women own
hei own land. I he de elopmen o he disad an aged sec ions o he socie y is o be achie ed, he go e nmen needs
o ake he ini ia i e o educe hese p oblems. I is di icul o achie e he de elopmen o Scheduled Cas e women
wi hou e o s o educa ion and skills a he social le el. Along wi h his, comp ehensi e policies a e needed o ensu e
equal igh s o land and access o o mal employmen .
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