International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

The Role of Caste and Labour Relations in the Lives of Landless Agricultural Labourer Women in Western Uttar Pradesh: A Sociological Study

The study focuses on the caste and labour relationship issues pertaining to the lives of women agricultural labourers who are landless in western Uttar Pradesh. This study is confined to the selected districts of Western Uttar Pradesh namely Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Mainpuri, Aligarh and Badaun which are mainly the divisions of Western Uttar Pradesh. The relationship between agriculture and land ownership, caste hierarchy, gender division of labour and rural power relations is strong in this region. Women in agricultural labour for hire without access to land are in a vulnerable situation as they rely on the availability of seasonal jobs in agriculture, informal employment and low wages, as well as unequal relationships with groups that own the land. They are still involved in the tasks of sowing, weeding, harvesting, collecting fodder, providing care to livestock and post-harvest activities, but they are socially invisible and economically undervalued in rural agriculture. The study takes a sociological approach that integrates the lens of Marxism, Ambedkarism, feminism and intersectionality in examining the combined impact of caste, class, gender and landlessness on women's labour opportunities, wages, dignity, mobility, bargaining power and experiences of everyday discrimination. The study is based on the secondary data and the sources of data used are Census reports, NSS data, Periodic Labour Force Survey reports, district statistical handbooks, government publications, books and research articles. It believes that the situation of landless agricultural labourer women should be discussed with the backdrop of poverty or employment, but it is essential to look into the combined structure of the caste hierarchy, gender subordination, landlessness and dependency on agrarian labour.