New Delhi: In order to improve women's lives and household nutrition and health outcomes in rural India, policies need to be context-specific, taking into consideration factors such as caste and location, says new research led by an Indian-origin scientist from University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, England.
Recognition of Indian women's roles in both agriculture and domestic work is key to improving household nutrition outcomes, said Nitya Rao, professor of gender and development in the UEA's school of international development.
In most of rural India, women work as agricultural and family farm labourers, in addition to performing nearly all the childcare and household duties.
Longer working hours for women or increased work intensity can have detrimental effects on their own health and, in turn, their ability to care for their children.
"Women's agricultural work could potentially have negative outcomes, especially for the young child whose nutrition depends more on the mother's time for breastfeeding and supplementary feeding. The double burden of work and care often leads to a time trade-off between the two," said Professor Rao.
