Climate Change Raising Workload and Income Stress for Rural Women: Govt

Climate change is disproportionately affecting women in rural India by increasing their workload and economic vulnerability, the government informed the Lok Sabha. The impact is particularly severe in agriculture and allied sectors that employ a large share of the female workforce.

In a written response, the Union environment ministry cited India’s Third National Communication submitted to the United Nations climate body in 2023. The report highlights that rising climatic extremes and increasing climate variability are significantly intensifying the workload of women, especially in rural areas.

Agriculture Losses Deepen Women’s Vulnerability

The ministry noted that erratic rainfall patterns and the growing frequency of extreme weather events are leading to repeated crop losses. These losses directly affect women, for whom agricultural produce often serves as the primary source of both food and income.

Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh told Parliament that climate variability tends to impact sectors traditionally associated with rural women, including paddy cultivation, cotton farming, tea plantations and fishing. As climate risks grow, women engaged in these sectors face declining productivity, income instability and food insecurity.

High Female Dependence on Climate-Sensitive Sectors

According to government data, around 65 per cent of India’s total female workforce is employed in agriculture, a sector highly vulnerable to climate fluctuations. Women make up approximately 30 per cent of cultivators and about 43 per cent of agricultural labourers across the country.

These figures underline the scale of exposure rural women face as climate change alters rainfall cycles, increases droughts and floods, and disrupts traditional farming patterns.

Government Measures to Reduce Climate Risks

The government stated that several schemes and programmes have been launched to directly or indirectly reduce climate-related risks faced by women while improving their adaptive capacity.

Key initiatives include the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram and the Mother and Child Tracking System under the National Health Mission.

According to the government, these programmes aim to lower women’s exposure and sensitivity to climate impacts while strengthening health, sanitation, water access and livelihood security in vulnerable communities.

The disclosures once again highlight how climate change is not only an environmental issue but also a social and economic challenge, with rural women bearing a disproportionate share of its consequences.