Women's Participation and Constraints in Sericulture: A Study from Karnataka, India

Abstract

The study on contribution and constraints of women in sericulture was conducted across selected villages of Tumakuru and Chikkaballapura districts in Karnataka. A total of 30 women engaged in various field-level sericulture activities were surveyed. Garrett’s Ranking Technique was employed to identify most significant contributions and constraints. The results revealed that women were predominantly involved in key sericulture operations such as cocoon harvesting, mounting of worms, leaf harvesting, and silkworm feeding, with the age group of 26–45 years being most active. However, their participation was limited in tasks involving pesticide application, land preparation, and marketing. The major constraints faced by women included excessive workload due to dual responsibility, low wages, limited access to training, and health-related issues. The study underscores the need for gender-sensitive interventions such as capacity building, wage equity, ergonomic tools, women specific rewards and incentives and improved access to training and credit to enhance the productivity along with socio-economic empowerment of women in sericulture.