Involvement of Women of Assam in Handloom Weaving Industry: Exploring a Linkage with Their Socio-Economic Conditions

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to delineate involvement of women in weaving industry in Assam, India and its inter-relationship with socio-economic conditions of the women. The weaving industry constitutes a timeless facet of the rich cultural heritage of Assam. Highest proportion of weavers in India can be seen in Assam and around 99 per cent of them are women. Weaving in Assam is the monopoly of Women folk irrespective of any caste or community. However opposite situation can be noticed with respect to the average number of days of work per adult handloom weaver per year in Assam as it is far below than the other states of India. It can be well acknowledged that socio-economic characteristics must conceivably influence in their involvement. Based on a primary survey of 166 women involved in weaving, a correlation matrix has been constructed to examine the issue. The analysis clearly shows that socio-economic factors such as income and education positively correlate with involvement of women in weaving.