Gender and Employment at the Tribal/Non-Tribal Interface: A Case Study of India

Bashabi Gupta, University of Delhi

The sphere of work is a complex network of relationships and power alliances that structure and regulates opportunities to work. Within these networks, the tribal population of Jharkhand, a state in eastern India, are powerless as most opportunities are controlled by the non tribal populations. This paper looks at the levels of inequality within the labour markets, especially in the rural labour markets faced by tribal women in their daily activities. The results show the wide gender disparity and inequality that exist in the labour market as regards the female tribal labourers, wherein they are susceptible to varied forms of exploitation. The lowering of the work force participation rates for tribal women in the last decade is an indication of severe stress within their economies. The survival mechanisms evolved by tribal women show extensive dependence on the social capital networks in which they are located.