Intl. J. Food. Ferment. Technol. 4(2): 99-106, December, 2014

©2014 New Delhi Publishers. All rights reserved

DOI Number: 10.5958/2321-7111.2014.00003.1

Research Paper

Perceived social attitude towards role of women in rural

dairy enterprise

S. J. Jadav*., Durgga Rani V., K. K. Tyagi V. V. Gamit and V.D. Chauhan

Department of Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Extension Education, Vanbandhu College of Veterinary Science and

Animal Husbandry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari-396450, Gujarat, India

*Corresponding author: sanjay.jadav89@gmail.com

Paper No. 84

Received: 16 July, 2014

Accepted: 4 October, 2014

Published: 24 December, 2014

Abstract

Present study was conducted to elucidate structure of social attitude towards perceived role of women in rural dairy

enterprise agreed upon by society. Total of 160 respondents from 8 villages belonging to 4 talukas of Dahod district

(Gujarat) were selected using stratified random sampling. Role of women in rural dairy enterprise was hypothesized

to have 5 major roles viz. Nutrition, Management, Breeding, Healthcare and Finance. There were 10, 8, 4, 7 and 5 sub

roles (Likert variables) allotted to each major role. Responses on these 34 five points Likert type variables measuring

social attitude towards different aspects of role of women in rural dairy enterprise were collected using pre-structured

questionnaire. Analysis using Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test revealed an arrangement of major roles as ‘Management → Nutriti

on → Healthcare → Breeding → Finance’ ordered in decreasing trend of women role in these major activities. Role of women

if depicted as five stratum pyramid, management and finance had occupied highest and lowest positions respectively.

Further data mining using Mann-Whitney (M-W) test brought healthcare and breeding under common stratum with

no significant differences (p<0.05). Therefore, our hypothesized major roles of women with five stratum pyramid were

actually agreed as four stratums by society ordered as ‘Management → Nutrition → Healthcare and Breeding → Finance’.

Exploration of sub-roles under each major role was carried out in similar way using Friedman and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks

(WSR) tests. Hypothesized sub-roles with 10, 8, 4, 7 and 5 stratum under respective major roles were finally found to be

stratified into 4, 4, 2, 4 and 4 stratums respectively. These findings indicated that the perceived role of women in rural

dairy enterprise was actually stratified into 18 sub roles instead of 34. Stratified structure of women role in rural dairy

enterprise depicted in this study will provide baseline framework for further women role oriented studies. Rural dairying

is women dominated enterprise. Women spent more time than men in rural dairy activities.

Keywords: Women, Rural dairy enterprise, Nutrition, Management, Breeding, Healthcare, Finance.

Dairying is one of the important enterprises, which

and dairy farming has been an integral part of a

supports the rural households by providing gainful

homestead farming system. About 75 million women

employment and steady income. The importance of

as against 15 million men are engaged in dairying in

milk and milk products for the physical development

India (Thakur and Chander, 2006). Although much

and well being of human beings is universally

of the work related to livestock farming is carried out

recognized. In India, women’s involvement in by women (Durgga and Subhadra, 2009) but studies

livestock management is a long standing tradition

related to the structure of their perceived role agreed

upon by society are scarce in the literature.