WORK PARTICIPATION OF TRIBAL WOMEN IN GAJAPATI DISTRICT: A STATESTICAL ANALYSIS OF ODISHA.

This paper has been written on the basis of qualitative and quantitative data collected from secondary source and discussed work participation of tribal women in Gajapati district in a descriptive manner. The tribal women have been equal partners with tribal men in the contribution to household economy. Women do more physical labour in their agricultural fields and forest than that of the tribal men. Tribal women have usually enjoyed a higher social status in their own communities. The literacy rate among the tribal’s and more so in case of tribal women is quite low and this is also associated with poor nutritional and health status among the tribal’s. They are engaged in various traditional occupations like mixed farming, hunting, Jhoom cultivation and shifting cultivation to settled agriculture. A very negligible percent are engaged in non-agricultural activities The Scheduled Tribes constitute 8.2% of India’s total population. 9.2% of the country’s scheduled tribe population is found in Odisha, which is third highest in the country and the scheduled tribes account for 50.78% population of the district.