Women play an integral role in agriculture across India and South Asia. In South Asia, women represent about 70% of the agricultural workforce, taking on essential tasks such as sowing, weeding, harvesting, and post-harvest processing. Despite their significant contributions, systemic barriers and entrenched social norms often render their labor invisible or undervalued. In India, for instance, women are primarily engaged in small-scale cultivation and food crop production for household consumption—tasks that are overlooked in favor of large-scale cash cropping, where men dominate. This division of labor reflects deeply embedded gender roles that favor men in agricultural decision-making and resource allocation (Sah et al., 2022).
One of the most glaring systemic challenges faced by women farmers is unequal land ownership. Globally, less than 20% of agricultural landholders are women, with South Asia showing even lower figures (FAO, 2011). In India, women’s lack of land ownership inhibits their access to critical resources such as credit, training, and technology, which are often tied to land rights. This institutional neglect ensures that women remain dependent on male family members to access agricultural subsidies and loans, further diminishing their autonomy and decision-making power in the sector (Sah et al., 2022).
From a socio-psychological perspective, theories such as Symbolic Interactionism and Role Congruity Theory help explain the suppression women experience in agriculture. Symbolic Interactionism highlights how societal narratives and everyday interactions reinforce the idea that men are the “farmers,” while women’s labor is secondary. This symbolic exclusion perpetuates not only women’s lack of recognition but also their internalized inferiority, leading to self-doubt and reduced confidence in asserting their rights. Meanwhile, Role Congruity Theory (Eagly & Karau, 2002) explains how societal expectations of gender roles create barriers for women in agriculture. Traditional norms associate men with physical strength and decision-making, while women are relegated to supportive roles. Even when women perform the majority of agricultural work, this mismatch between their contributions and societal expectations results in systemic marginalization.
At the institutional level, the absence of women from leadership positions in farming cooperatives and decision-making bodies further entrenches their exclusion. Only about 10% of the grassroots agricultural extension workforce in India are women, creating disconnects between the services offered and the realities of women farmers (Sah et al., 2022). This male-dominated structure perpetuates inequalities, as women are often excluded from training programs or receive assistance focused solely on household roles rather than productive agricultural activities.
Psychologically, the reinforcement of traditional gender roles can lead to internalized oppression, where women themselves underestimate their contributions to agriculture. This is closely tied to Learned Helplessness Theory (Seligman, 1972), which explains how repeated exposure to systemic barriers—such as denial of resources, lack of recognition, and exclusion from decision-making—can lead individuals to feel powerless to change their circumstances. For many women farmers, this manifests as an acceptance of their secondary status, perpetuating the cycle of inequality.
The division of labor in agriculture further illustrates the systemic and cultural barriers faced by women farmers. Tasks requiring physical strength, such as land preparation and irrigation, are typically assigned to men, while women handle labor-intensive but undervalued responsibilities, such as food crop production and post-harvest processing (Sah et al., 2022). This gendered division of labor not only reinforces stereotypes but also ensures that women’s contributions remain invisible in policy frameworks and agricultural statistics.
Addressing the suppression of women farmers requires an intersectional approach that considers the socio-cultural, institutional, and psychological dimensions of inequality. Structural reforms, such as land ownership policies, increased representation of women in agricultural leadership, and targeted training programs, are essential for surpassing the barriers faced by women. Further, challenging entrenched social norms and narratives that undervalue women’s contributions to agriculture is critical for fostering gender equity in the sector.
Work Cited:
- Eagly, A. H., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109(3), 573–598. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.109.3.573
- FAO Agriculture and Economic Development Analysis Division. (2011). The state of food and agriculture, 2010–2011: Women in agriculture – Closing the gender gap for development. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved from https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/03d4e11d-8d41-4b98-9d3d-9cbb2f383d0a
- Sah, U., Joshi, K., & Dubey, S. K. (2022). Gender issues in farming: Challenging socially embedded positions in agrarian context. In A. Kumar et al. (Eds.), Agriculture, Livestock Production and Aquaculture (pp. 77–89). Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93258-9_5
- Seligman, M. E. (1972). Learned helplessness. Annual Review of Medicine, 23(1), 407–412. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.me.23.020172.002203
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