Determinants of Socio-Economic Status of the Agricultural Women Workers` in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to find out the role of rural women in the development of agriculture sector in India and to analyse the determinants of socio-economic status of rural agricultural women workers in the sample villages of West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. A sample of 400 respondents were administered a structured schedule, and the data was collected, quantified, analyzed and interpreted.  It is observed from the literature that the socio-economic status of the agricultural women workers generally depends upon certain socio-economic indicators like literacy levels, health status, family size of the household, annual income, size of operational holding, work participation rates of the family members and the extent of consumption expenditure. The regression result for the total sample reveals the fact that the explanatory variables like annual income of the households, work participation rates of the family members and health status of agricultural women workers are having a positive and direct relationship with the socio economic status of the selected households. However, the family size, illiteracy and the proportion of consumption expenditure made by the households on the intoxicants and ceremonies and functions is having inverse relationship with the socio economic status of agricultural women workers in the study area.