Trends and Patterns of Scheduled Tribe Female Agricultural Workers in India, 2001-2011

Tribal female workers are known for their contribution in agriculture all over the world. But scheduled tribe female workers in India are experiencing unparalleled marginalisation, which has resulted in widespread underemployment. Over the years scheduled tribe female cultivators are decreasing while the percent of agricultural labourers is increasing. In 2001 the per cent of scheduled tribe female workers in cultivator’s category was 41.2 and in 2011 this per cent was only 30.1 so the decrease of 11.1 per cent is noticeable while in 2001 the per cent of agricultural labourers of scheduled tribe female workers was 44.8 and in 2011 this per cent was 53.1 so there is a very sharp increase of scheduled tribe female workers in agricultural labourers’ category in India. The fast transition is worth investigating to understand the reasons for the changing trends.