A Shift in the Earning Trend: 21st Century Women from Agricultural Families
Abstract:
The present paper aims to talk on an innovative earning group compelled to involve in skilled agricultural profession due to the sudden breakdown of the COVID 19 in 2020-2021. The field survey in the present study is carried out to observe the changing trend in the occupational pattern of the village women in North Bengal agricultural families with the aim to bring changes into their life and living during the post-COVID 19 incidence. During the post COVID period the women community were compelled to absorb as skilled workforce together with the male professionals. Hence, the changes in the pattern of their occupation was indispensible for the survival purposes. The women in agricultural families were traditionally absorbed as non- professional second grade workers. They are absorbed mainly in the preparation of field to other ancillary works The outbreak of COVID 19 came as a blow to the women farmers group depending solely on agriculture in the management of their families. The occurrence of COVID 19 has enabled the women community to involve in fine tuning their agricultural skill for the management of family livelihood alongside the other self -help program. The purpose was to make them Atmanirbhar (selfreliant) by switching off the skilled agricultural work. This change in the occupational pattern though worked as a boost up to the women community, their enormous urge for survival has helped them to become self-confident in the management of the family burden during the post COVID 19 era. The present study is based on field survey to the villages of Sub-Himalayan region of North Bengal as a positive message to the society that under such a threatening (COVID 19) situation, the women could pick up the self-survival skill for their own protection as well as the protection of their families through the existing agricultural policy under the five-point agricultural program under Atmanirbhar Bharat.
