The Census of India data reveal that the rural female work participation rate (FWPR) has declined between 2001 and 2011 in West Bengal. This decline in rural FWPR provides a rationale for further investigation into the low and declining rural FWPR in West Bengal. The heterogeneity in social, demographic, cultural, economic, and ethnographic spheres within the broad geographical area of West Bengal demand a village level analysis. This article is, therefore, an enquiry of the rural FWPR at village level and its “explaining” factors. The area of study is the six districts of West Bengal selected according to their rural FWPR. The results indicate that for all the districts, the population of the historically disadvantageous social class of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are an important determining factor for rural FWPR. The availability of work also positively influences the rural FWPR. However, the increase in literacy rate is associated with lower FWPR for all the districts. This lowering of FWPR with literacy indicates the unavailability of decent jobs for females. Some of the development indicators such as access to health, nutritional facilities, transportation, and education also play a significant role in explaining the decline in rural FWPR.

中文翻译：

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女性工作参与率低下：西孟加拉邦农村案例

印度人口普查数据显示，西孟加拉邦的农村女性工作参与率（FWPR）在2001年至2011年之间有所下降。农村FWPR的下降为进一步调查西孟加拉邦农村FWPR的下降提供了理论依据。在西孟加拉邦广阔的地理区域内，社会，人口，文化，经济和人种学领域的异质性要求进行村级分析。因此，本文是对乡村层面的农村FWPR及其“解释性”因素的研究。研究领域是根据农村FWPR选择的西孟加拉邦的六个区。结果表明，对于所有地区，附表种姓（SC）和附表部落（ST）的历史上处于不利地位的社会阶层的人口是农村FWPR的重要决定因素。工作的可用性也对农村的FWPR产生了积极的影响。但是，识字率的提高与所有地区的FWPR降低有关。识字率的FWPR降低表明女性无法获得体面的工作。一些发展指标，例如获得卫生，营养设施，交通和教育的机会，在解释农村FWPR下降方面也起着重要作用。