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Project Report "A Study On An Observational Study On Women'S Role Towards Environment"
Project Report "A Study On An Observational Study On Women'S Role Towards Environment"
Project Report "A Study On An Observational Study On Women'S Role Towards Environment"
BY
PRAVANJAN CHAKRABORTY
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
TOWARDS
ENVIRONMENT
METHODOLOGY
INTERPRETATIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX
➢ QUESTIONNAIRE
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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
Women Symbolize 'Prakriti' means 'Nature' in Indian Philosophy She creates and nurtures
the creation to bloom She signifies 'shakti' - the power that drives the system True, that
the status of Indian women has eroded significantly since the Vedic times .Nevertheless,
with the spread of education and social reforms 20th century experienced reawakening
and a gradual uprise. Women in our country have brought a different perspective to the
environment debate, because of their different experience base. Poor women's lives are
not compartmentalized and they see the issues in a broad and holistic perspective. They
understand clearly that economics and environment are compatible. Their experience
reveals to them that soil, water and vegetation, necessary for their day-to-day living,
requires care and good management. Environmental degradation is related not only to the
Traditionally, women have been responsible for subsistence and survival for water, food,
fuel, fodder and habitat, though they rarely get the credit for nurturing these life support
very difficult from that of man. Women have always been the major conservers of bio-
diversity.
Even today, they perform duties such as seed selection, multiplication and conservation.
The on-farm conservation traditions of rural and tribal women, with reference to agro-
biodiversity are well known. Unfortunately, current food security systems depend on too
few crops. It is important to expand the basis of food security by including large numbers
of spices and varieties of food plants still maintained by tribal and rural families. For this
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purpose, women can be trained in the revitalization of the on-farm conservation traditions
of the older generation through bio-technological process. The training should also
include equipping them for compiling bio-diversity inventories and for taking decision on
issues like giving consent to using their genetic material by breeding companies /
institutions.
Traditionally, women are responsible for resource mobilization and management. Fuel,
fodder and water collections are the accepted responsibilities of women. As the
environment degrades, these basic necessities become difficult to collect. The time a
woman spends on gathering fuel, fodder and water, as well as attending to household
work, agricultural work and animal care, reduces her competence. Dr. M. S. Swaminathan,
former member of the planning Commission stated, "If men had to fetch drinking water
the 230,000 villages would not have remained without provision of drinking water after
several years of planned development". Traditionally, women have dealt with non-
monetized biomass based subsistence economy of the household i.e. firewood, cow dung,
crop wastes, organic manure, etc. In comparison men tend to destroy nature to earn cash
even if it means creating hardship in their own families for their womenfolk to collect fuel
and fodder e.g. sale of herbs and wood. The upshot is that women work as unpaid laborers
on family farms with a greater role than men in operational decision making. The
population pressure has increased male migration, which in turn adds to the load of work
on women. Thus, women's responsibilities extend from the household duties to working
in the fields as well. A destructive chain reaction emerges. As the time required for fuel
and fodder collection grows and firewood becomes scarce, cow-dung previously spread
on the fields, is used in the kitchen, thereby depleting soil resources and causing a negative
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effect on the livelihood of local people and environment.
income generating tools, while women have tended to see the environment as a resource
supporting their basic needs. As an example, rural Indian women collect the dead branches
which are cut by storm for fuel wood to use rather than cutting the live trees. Since African,
Asian, and Latin American women use the land to produce food for their family, they
acquire the knowledge of the land/soil conditions, water, and other environmental
features. Any changes in the environment on these areas, like deforestation, have the most
effect on women of that area, and cause them to suffer until they can cope with these
changes. Women play a key role in the protection of biological diversity through their
varied responsibilities. They have identified the need not only to protect the bio-diversity,
The Indian women were always ahead in the matter of prevention of pollution and
They have made greater sacrifices, have exhibited greater love than man in the area of
environment protection. The strong desire, devotion and dedication towards better
In India, most of the people live in villages where the sanitary conditions are poor. As we
know a country cannot make sound progress unless its rural conditions are improved.
Sanitation is one of the important areas on which countries of the developing world are
focusing attention to improve the living conditions and health status of the poor. Norman
(1989) defined sanitation as an applied science that incorporate the principle involve with
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Environmental pollution in rural areas can be minimized at nominal cost by creating
awareness among the rural residents. In this connection women, being the key person of
the family, can take initiative in growing everyone concern about environmental pollution
and can play pivotal role in controlling pollution to some reasonable extent.
The basic needs of the people are purified water, clean air and sanitation around the
houses. These things can be maintained by proper disposal of domestic refuse and
maintenance of proper cleanliness surrounding the houses. The process starts from home
conservative approach is not something inherent arising out of their being women as it is
With the objective of women empowerment and to assess the role of women in
environment protection, the present study was conducted in the rural areas of Dehradun.
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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The present study is an attempt to know the present status of women in the area, their
activities which affect the environment and to assess the awareness among women about
❖ The study were further delimited to the respondents of the villages Akhandwali
❖ Further, only 90 respondents of rural women were selected for the present study.
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CHAPTER II: WOMEN’S ROLE TOWARDS
ENVIRONMENT
The deep connection between women and men comes from the daily interaction between
them. In recent decades, environmental movements have increased as the movements for
women's rights have also increased. Today's union of nature preservation with women's
rights and liberation has stemmed from invasion of their rights in the past.
In developing areas of the world, women are considered the primary users of natural
resources (Land, forest, and water), because they are the ones who are responsible for
gathering food, fuel, and fodder. Although in these countries, women mostly can't own
the land and farms outright, they are the ones who spend most of their time working on
the farms to feed the household. Shouldering this responsibility leads them to learn more
about soil, plants, and trees and not misuse them. Although, technological inputs increase
male involvement with land, many of them leave the farm to go to cities to find jobs; so
women become increasingly responsible for an increasing portion of farm tasks. These
rural women tend to have a closer relationship with land and other natural resources,
which promotes a new culture of respectful use and preservation of natural resources and
the environment, ensuring that the following generations can meet their needs. Besides
women want to secure access to the land. Women's perspectives and values for the
environment are somewhat different from men's. Women give greater priority to
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protection of and improving the capacity of nature, maintaining farming lands, and caring
for nature and environment's future. Repeated studies have shown that women have a stake
in environment, and this stake is reflected in the degree to which they care about natural
- where the domination and exploitation of women, of poorly resourced peoples and of
Today, women struggle against alarming global trends, but they are working together to
organizations, many women have recognized themselves and acknowledge to the world
that they not only have the right to participate in environmental dilemmas but they have
knowledge about natural resources. This is why women are affected differently from men
often the most directly affected by environmental issues, so they become more concerned
about environmental problems. Studies have shown the direct effects of chemicals and
have found an association between breast cancer and the pesticide DDT and its derivative
DDE; and also one study by the World Health Organization has found that women who
are exposed to pesticides face a higher risk of abortion. These kinds of health problems
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People in Western countries think they originated the environmental movements without
knowing that the villagers in mostly poor and developing countries initiated these
movements.
The direct concern of Indian women with environment protection can be traced long back
to 1731 AD, when Amrita Bai of Khejaralli village of Jodhpur District of Rajasthan
sacrificed her life for saving the trees of her village. She is the founder of the modern
‘Chipko Movement’ In order to save the trees, she embraced the trees and was cut as per
the orders of the then Maharaja. Her three daughters and later her husband came forward
and one by one. 363 people were killed and the trees remained untouched because of
This movement started by Amrita Bai in 1731 AD was revived by Bachni Devi and Gaura
Devi of Uttar Pradesh in 1972. They snatched the axe from the wood cutters and warned
contractors not to cut the trees. They gave a slogan which means forests bear soil, water
and air and the three substances are basic requirements of our life.
An example of female prominence in the defense of natural forests comes from India in
1906. As forest clearing was expanding conflict between loggers and government and
peasant communities increased. To thwart resistance to the forest clearing, the men were
diverted from their villages to a fictional payment compensation site and loggers were
sent to the forests. The women left in the villages, however, protested by physically
hugging themselves to the trees to prevent their being cut down, giving rise to what is now
women (which also is where the term tree-huggers originated). This conflict started
because men wanted to cut the trees to use them for industrial purposes while women
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wanted to keep them since it was their food resource and deforestation was a survival
The movement was an act of defiance against the state government’s permission given to
a corporation for commercial logging. Women of the villages resisted, embracing trees to
prevent their felling to safeguard their lifestyles which were dependent on the forests.
Deforestation could qualitatively alter the lives of all village residents but it was the
women who agitated for saving the forests Organized by a non-governmental organization
that Chandi Prasad Bhatt led, the Chipko movement adopted the slogan “ecology is
permanent economy”. The women embracing the trees did not tag their action as feminist
It began when Maharajah of Jodhpur wanted to build a new palace in Rajasthan which is
India’s Himalayan foot hills. While the axe men were cutting the trees, martyr Amrita
Devi hugged one of the trees. This is because in Jodhpur each child had a tree that could
talk to it. The axmen ignored Devi and after taking her off the tree cut it down. Her
The threat of deforestation was enough to rally the local women to civil disobedience to
protect the eco-system. They knew very well that their well being, their prosperity, their
life, all was associated with the forest. Some commentators have described chipko
movement as Women’s movement (Bahuguna 1975; Bhatt and Kumar 1982, Jain 1983,
Mishra & Tripathi 1978). It is important to recall the names of Indian women who have
fought legal battles in the court of law for environment protection, as Mrs. Sarla Tripathi
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Today the torchbearers are Maneka Gandhi, an environmentalist & politician, Medha
Patekar, a social worker & environmentalist who are carrying on the crusade of
environment protection But the problem of present day environment protection cannot be
solved with the involvement of a few selected groups of women It requires a global
of every woman of every class / every locality, and any woman should not underestimate
her role.
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CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
gives various steps in conducting the research in a systematic and a logical way. It is
essential to define the problem, state objectives and hypothesis clearly. The research
design provides the details regarding what, where, when, how much and by what means
done, what data is needed, what data collecting tools are to be employed and how the data
design of studies and research projects all of which may be equally valid. Research is a
empirical and logical analysis and recording of controlled observation that may led to the
specialized tools, instruments and procedures in order to obtain a more adequate solution
of a problem than would be possible under ordinary mean. Thus, research always starts
from question. There are three objectives of research factual, practical and theoretical,
which gives rise to three types of research: historical, experimental and descriptive.
Research design has been defined by different social scientists in a number of ways. All
for interpretation. Selltize et al. (1962) expressed their views as, “Research designs are
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closely linked to investigator’s objectives. They specify that research designs are either
descriptive or experimental in nature.” Research design tells us how to plan various phases
and procedures related to the formulation of research effort (Ackoff Russell, 1961). Miller
(1989) has defined research design, “as the planned sequence of the entire process
Keeping in view the requirements for an adequate design as discussed above, the
investigator formulated an appropriate design for the purpose of the present study. The
To study the women interface with rural environment in Dehradun, a survey will be
conducted in three villages of Dehradun, through personal interview with women with the
help of a questionnaire. During the survey 30 respondents from each village Akhandwali
Bhilang, Amwala Karanpur, and Amwala Manjhala respectively i.e., total 90 will be taken.
For the collection of relevant data, a detailed questionnaire will be prepared involving
various aspects such as socio-economic status, details of bovine population, fuel collection,
The analysed data will be used to prepare the report from which inferences will be drawn
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CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATIONS
When data has been obtained, it is necessary to organize them for the interpretation.
Qualitative data may have to be summarized and treated statistically to make significant
According to Good, Barr and Scates, “Analysis is a process which enters into research in
one form or another, from the very beginning. It may be fair to say that research, in
general, consists of two large steps i.e. gathering of data and the analysis of research
data.”
Inference
The study revealed that majority of the women in the study area was illiterate and
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housewives. The low percentage of working women was attributed to low educational
levels which were due to less educational facilities as there was only one high school in
villages Akhandwali Bhilang, Amwala Karanpur and none in village Amwala Manjhala.
Also, the large family sizes had increased workload on women due to which their
Inference
The average number of animals per household was highest in Village Nawda (75 percent).
Cows and buffaloes constituted the major livestock in majority of households. Animals
were mostly grazed in agricultural fields, nearby forests and pasturelands. It was observed
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during the study that the forests have been degraded in large scale due to excessive lopping
and cutting in the past. The grazing and pastureland were also in the bad shape due to over
exploitation and overgrazing. Mostly women or their children were involved in the
grazing of cattle. Cattle dung was usually dumped in the open and used as manure.
Inference
Majority of the women used traditional chullahs for cooking purposes but when the
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chullahs were present inside the kitchen, majority of the households did not have the
provision of the chimneys. This had resulted in increased level of indoor air pollution. The
most commonly used fuel was firewood. The women were mostly involved in extraction
and collection of dry wood, collecting crop waste, preparing dung cakes etc. for cooking
purposes. Though LPG was used as fuel in most of the households, due to poverty, people
Table: 4.4: Waste disposal practices by the women in the study area
Inference
Most of the inhabitants of these three villages defecated in the open. Majority of the
women respondents revealed that they dumped their waste in the open to be washed away
with rain. The waste was also put into the crops without any knowledge of nature of waste
It was also observed that major source of drinking water in the study area was Bawlis
while other sources were hand pumps, tap water etc. and all the three purposes of drinking,
washing, bathing and fetching water for the cattle were fulfilled from the same water body.
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Table: 4.5: State of Awareness among women in the study area
No 54 63 55
2. Cause of declining Chemical 7 27 0
food production Fertilizers
Monoculture 12 10 5
Deficient 81 57 95
monsoon
Others 0 6 0
3. Activity when air Cooking 38 33 25
pollution is most Brooming 8 17 10
Smoking 52 40 65
Others 2 10 0
4. Common Means of Bus 97 94 100
Transport
Personal 3 6 0
Vehicle
5. Use of Non Yes 7 0 5
conventional
sources of energy No 93 100 5
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11. Do you plant trees Yes 89 77 85
or maintain
garden? No 11 23 15
Inference
Women performed key agricultural tasks ranging from land preparation, seeding, fertilizer
application, plant protection, and harvesting, threshing, winnowing and storing products.
Only few women respondents responded positively for adopting water harvesting
practices. As the people were heavily dependent on rains for irrigation, so majority of
them believe deficient monsoon is the major cause of declining food production. Smoke
released from burning of low grade fuels and cigarettes smoking are found to be the worst
source of air pollution. Most of them responded positively towards electricity saving by
switching off the lights when not in use, maintaining gardens at their homes and awareness
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CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
On the basis of analysis and interpretation of results, the below recorded conclusions are
drawn.
RESPONDENTS
The study revealed that majority of the women in the study area was illiterate and
housewives. The low percentage of working women was attributed to low educational
levels which were due to less educational facilities as there was only one high school in
villages Akhandwali Bhilang, Amwala Karanpur and none in village Amwala Manjhala.
Also, the large family sizes had increased workload on women due to which their
RESPONDENTS
The average number of animals per household was highest in Village Akhandwali Bhilang
(75 percent). Cows and buffaloes constituted the major livestock in majority of
households. Animals were mostly grazed in agricultural fields, nearby forests and
pasturelands. It was observed during the study that the forests have been degraded in large
scale due to excessive lopping and cutting in the past. The grazing and pastureland were
also in the bad shape due to over exploitation and overgrazing. Mostly women or their
children were involved in the grazing of cattle. Cattle dung was usually dumped in the
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open and used as manure.
RESPONDENTS
Majority of the women used traditional chullahs for cooking purposes but when the
chullahs were present inside the kitchen, majority of the households did not have the
provision of the chimneys. This had resulted in increased level of indoor air pollution. The
most commonly used fuel was firewood. The women were mostly involved in extraction
and collection of dry wood, collecting crop waste, preparing dung cakes etc. for cooking
purposes. Though LPG was used as fuel in most of the households, due to poverty, people
Most of the inhabitants of these three villages defecated in the open. Majority of the
women respondents revealed that they dumped their waste in the open to be washed away
with rain. The waste was also put into the crops without any knowledge of nature of waste
It was also observed that major source of drinking water in the study area was Bawlis
while other sources were hand pumps, tap water etc. and all the three purposes of drinking,
washing, bathing and fetching water for the cattle were fulfilled from the same water body.
Women performed key agricultural tasks ranging from land preparation, seeding, fertilizer
application, plant protection, and harvesting, threshing, winnowing and storing products.
Only few women respondents responded positively for adopting water harvesting
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practices. As the people were heavily dependent on rains for irrigation, so majority of
them believe deficient monsoon is the major cause of declining food production. Smoke
released from burning of low grade fuels and cigarettes smoking are found to be the worst
source of air pollution. Most of them responded positively towards electricity saving by
switching off the lights when not in use, maintaining gardens at their homes and awareness
RECOMMENDATIONS
4. Promote Recycling wastes, limit water use and protection of existing forests by
The study will pave the way for other researchers to conduct similar studies in any
districts, any states and any countries to bring to limelight on environmental awareness,
SUMMARY
Women in the rural areas live in close association with the environment in relation to their
overall daily activities. Although women can play big roles in the field of environment
conservation but their role is often undervalued and ignored. The present study is an
attempt to know the present status of women in the area, their activities which affect the
23 | P a g e
environment and to assess the awareness among women about their role in environment
protection. The study was based on a survey conducted in three villages of Dehradun
namely Akhandwali Bhilang, Amwala Karanpur and Amwala Manjhala through personal
interview with the help of a questionnaire. It was observed that there is a wide scope for
women to realize their potential and strength in the field of environment protection so that
they can transform themselves from effective home managers to effective environmental
managers.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
the Rural Poor. South Asia Region Internal Discussion Paper; 24-39.
at Household Level, Ijcaes Special Issue On Basic, Applied & Social Sciences,
51-86.
10(1): 3-6.
❖ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_and_the_environment
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QUESTIONNAIRE
2. Status ( )
A. Housewife
B. Working
3. Family Type ( )
A. Nuclear
B. Joint
4. Educational Status ( )
A. Illiterate
B. Under Matric
C. Matric
D. Above Matric
5. Type of House ( )
A. Kachha
B. Pacca
6. Bovine Population ( )
A. Cows
B Buffaloes
C. Goat
D. Sheep
E. Others
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7. Grazing Area ( )
A. Agricultural Fields
B. Near Forests
C. Pasture land
A. Son
B. Daughter
C. Myself
D. Others
9. Nature of Feed ( )
A. Green Fodder
B. Hay
C. Crop Residues
D. Tree Leaves
E. Others
A. Open Dumping
B. Managed Pits
A. Yes
B. No
( )
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A. Yes
B. No
A. Firewood
B. Dung cakes
C. Crop waste
D. LPG
E. Electric Heater
F. Kerosine oil
A. Agricultural Fields
B. Near Forest
C. Market
D. Others
A. Yes
B. No
A. Open fields
B. Toilets
A. Yes
B. No
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18. How the rubbish is man-aged? ( )
A. Garbage box
B. Open dumping
A. Yes
B. No
A. Chemical fertilizer
B. Monoculture
C. Deficient monsoon
D. Others
A. Cooking
B. Brooming
C. Smoking
D. Others
A. Bus
B. Personal Vehicle
A. Yes
B. No
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24. Do you segregate biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes?
( )
A. Yes
B. No
A. Yes
B. No
A. Wet
B. Dry
A. Yes
B. No
A. Yes
B. No
A. Yes
B. No
A. Yes
B. No
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A. Yes
B. No
A. Yes
B. No
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