Rural sector in India presents a complex and overwhelming situation of women. Women have always played a better role than men in every prospect of life, still she has to fight for her rights and status. She has always treated as a second citizen in this country and when it comes to rural India, the situation becomes even more devastating. Women, the word itself is so powerful and in spite of so many contributions as a mother, daughter, sister, she is treated inferior.
Most of the women in rural India are supposed to fetch and carry water from distant places everyday. They work like slaves, in home and in fields as well. The women contribute to 48.1% of total population of rural India, and the illiteracy rate is around 60-62%. You can imagine the situation of Indian women by these figures. No one is concerned for girl`s education in villages. From very small ages, they are forced to look after homes and go to agriculture lands to learn farming skills. Females in rural India contribute to both household work and agricultural produce, thus, they perform dual roles. Females are actively involved in livestock production, forest resource use, fishery processing, and other agricultural activities in villages. They are supposed to help their fathers and brothers in fields and their mothers in homes.
Around 50% rural women are employed in forest based small-scale industries. They make broom, baskets, extract oil, cultivate lac, and bamboo works. In short, they bring financial support for their families. Women in rural India are suffering due to lack of information and literacy. According to a study girl at the age of 10-12 are stopped from going schools in most of the villages. Though the government has done a lot to improve the status of rural women, the things are falling short. Girl education in villages is one of the most powerful reform acts started by Indian government that has improved the situation, to some extent, but there is much more required to be done.
The health issues and poverty existing in rural India is a major concern for government. Rural woman is exposed to several health problems due to ecological degradation and changing agriculture techniques. She needs to be updated from time to time to face the health challenges and government should plan various education programs to meet the requirements. Technology and education programs have certainly improved the scenario being prevalent in rural India, but still we need to put our best to empower the rural women.