A study to ascertain the levels of income, health, education, attitude and lifestyle of women engaged in agricultural work was conducted by ‘Pavithram’, an NGO.
The study, which was conducted in the three districts of Tiruchy, Tirunelveli and Thanjavur, with a sample size of 1,200 women in the age group of 16 years and above, were administered 12 questions each.
Dr Joice Thilagam, a retired medical officer from Chennai Corporation, who conducted the study, said that the study focused on the status of women in the field of agriculture.
The findings from the survey indicate that only a little more than a third of the women in these agricultural districts, 35.6 percent in fact, could read or write.
The practice of open defecation was also found to be prevalent among the women in these areas.
Around 75 per cent of the women said that they did not use closed bathrooms for defecation, but open fields.
Crucially, however, the study claims that 83 per cent of the respondents said that they were happy with the medical facilities and access to these facilities in their villages.
Other health and welfare parameters as to how many of the women interviewed had bank accounts (27.3 per cent), used snuff powder (3.3 per cent), tobacco (30.6 per cent) and consumed liquor (0.25 per cent) were also explored in the study.