From C K Nayak
New Delhi: The Northeastern region, including Meghalaya, has something better than the mainland and developed counterparts since it has more women working than men, but the sex ratio in the region has gone down, official data has shown.
An average woman in small tribal states like Mizoram, Nagaland and Chhattisgarh is more likely to be working then a woman living in urban areas like Delhi. This was revealed in the latest data released by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Data from the National Family Health Survey said that at 946 girls per 1000 boys, sex ratio in the 0-5 age group in Mizoram is down from 1025 where it stood ten years ago. In Manipur it is down from 1014 to 962. In Nagaland it is down to 956 from 984 and in Sikkim it is down from 984 to 809.
But only Meghalaya has shown an upward trend. Sex ratio at birth for children born in the last five years rose in 2015-16 to 1,009 from 907 a decade ago, it said.
The Labour Ministry data showed the percentage of women workers in comparison to men in the following pattern – Mizoram 59%, Nagaland 55.9%, Arunachal Pradesh 51.6%, Meghalaya 49.9%, Sikkim 48.2%, Manipur 46.4%, Tripura 45.3% and Assam 24.5%.
Mizoram, which follows a matrilineal social system, has the highest share of women in the workforce in India.
Conflict-ridden Jammu & Kashmir has the lowest — in worker population ratio, women constitute only 7.9%.
According to the results of labour force surveys conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), the worker population ratio for females aged 15 years and above was 25.8% in 2015-16.
Besides Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh are also at the bottom of the list with less 10% contribution of women in the workforce. Delhi (11.7%), Uttar Pradesh (12%) and Himachal Pradesh (15.15) also fare poorly.
Meanwhile, a separate study of the Union Health Ministry showed that India’s sex ratio at birth for children born in the last five years is 919 girls per 1000 boys against the “ideal” of 950. Yet, less than 3000 cases have been filed for sex selective abortions, show data available with the health ministry.
The health ministry data also said that no cases have been filed in the NE states of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. It is possible that the matriarchal societal setup in these states precludes female foeticide, it added.