WOMEN AND WORK IN MANIPUR

Women in Manipur are noted for their high economic work participation rates. A trip through all the lanes, by- lanes, markets of Manipur will depict active participation of women in economic activity of the economy. There is the all-women Ima Market in the heart of Imphal City which is run almost exclusively by women vendors since ancient times. It seemed as if no other place in India will ever see such active participation of women in economic activity. The culture and ethos of the land speak of womens economic participation from ancient times.From traditional times, women had a greater role to play in the economic life of Manipur, compared to the patriarchy dominated rest of India. They face lesser discrimination than in other parts of the country. Moreover, social norms are such that there is lesser pressure on women to marry, greater freedom in their movement, in choice of occupation and in the choice of their life partner. Hence, they were able to play an active role in the economy. Census data show higher work participation of women in Manipur as compared to overall India, but NSS data do not always show such higher work participation rates, except insome years. Women are always working, in paid and in unpaid work but their work may not be effectively captured in official statistics. Theyconcentrate in the informal sector,in home-based work and in subsistence activities, the magnitude of which are sometimes difficult to capture adequately. The paper uses secondary data to study the employment status of women workers in the economy of Manipur. It shows how women of Manipur participate in productive sectors of the economy and in fact are the backbone of the economy of Manipur.