CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS FOR WOMEN WORKERS IN MGNREGA

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), one of India's most extensive social security programs, ensures that rural residents will have a job that pays them a certain amount each month. Despite the fact that the state of Uttar Pradesh still has lower rates of female workers than the rest of the country, the program employs a disproportionate number of women. This study examines the experiences of female MGNREGA employees, specifically in Uttar Pradesh. It does this by looking at five main factors: whether or not workplace facilities are adequate, whether or not empowerment is possible, whether or not wage payments are delayed, and the impact of gender-sensitive policy changes. This article uses secondary data collected from 2019–20 to 2023–24 using a descriptive and analytical research strategy. The data comes from various government sources, MIS reports, and published literature. While the national average for female involvement is 59.25%, the results show that in Uttar Pradesh it has increased little, going from 39.5% in 2019–20 to 42.26% in 2023–24. Shortcomings in childcare and sanitation, salary payment delays, patriarchal constraints, and institutional assistance are all ongoing issues. Regardless of these obstacles, MGNREGA shows considerable promise in empowering women via expanding family decision-making authority, decreasing distress migration, and increasing wage stability. The research suggests implementing gender-sensitive changes, increasing awareness, distributing wages on time, and improving the workplace infrastructure to upsurge women's participation in the scheme and make it more inclusive. Findings indicate that closing these structural gaps is key to MGNREGA's ability to empower rural women in Uttar Pradesh and achieve its transformational potential