In rural India, men got 56% higher wages than women, shows National Sample Survey

Men’s average daily earning was56.2 percent higher than women’s in regular wage/salariedemployee category in villages during 2011-12, a governmentsurvey has said.

“Average daily earnings of a regular wage/salariedemployee in the informal sector was about Rs 189 for ruralmales, Rs 121 for rural females,” revealed the National SampleSurvey’s ‘Informal Sector and Conditions of Employment in India’ study conducted during July, 2011-June, 2012.

Men’s earning in the above category at Rs 258 was 32.9per cent higher than women’s in cities at Rs 194, as per the National Sample Survey Office study.

Similarly, daily wage rate of a casual labourer in theinformal sector was about Rs 163 for rural men and Rs 116 forrural women. It was Rs 169 for men in cities and Rs 113 forwomen in villages.

It said that the average daily earnings of a regularwage/salaried employee in the AGEGC and non-agriculturesectors was about Rs 401, Rs225 for those employed in theinformal sector and about Rs 127 for those employed in theemployer’s households.

Workers in AGEGC sector are those in agriculture sectorbut not a part of activities like growing crops, plantpropagation, combined production of crops and animals withouta specialized production of crops or animals.

The daily wage rate of a casual labourer in the AGEGC andnon-agriculture sectors was about Rs 155. It was about Rs 159for those employed in informal sector and about Rs 116 forthose employed in the employer’s households.It reveals that among workers in AGEGC andnon-agriculture sectors, about 72 per cent were employed inthe informal sector. The proportion was about 75 percent invillages and about 69 per cent in cities.

Among workers in the informal sector, about 86 per centin rural areas and 98 per cent in urban areas were employed inthe non-agriculture sector.Manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade,transportation and storage industries were the main providersof employment in the informal sector. In the informal sector, about 73 percent in rural areas and 75 per cent in the urbanareas were employed in these industries.

This report is based on the employment and unemploymentsurvey conducted in the 68th round of NSS during July 2011 toJune 2012.The survey was conducted in area spread over 12,737 firststage units (7,469 villages and 5,268 urban blocks) covering1,01,724 households (59,700 in rural areas and 42,024 in urbanareas) and enumerating 4,56,999 persons (2,80,763 in ruralareas and 1,76,236 in urban areas).

PTI