Addressing the constraints women face in the labour market requires gender-sensitive market regulations. It is a matter of common observation that women are doing various household jobs like babysitting, cooking, cleaning, etc, outside their homes, but such employment is not covered through labour legislation or social security laws

A baby girl born in South Asia starts her journey of life with acute disadvantages due to the prevalence of deep-rooted gender discrimination in the region. Professor Alesina of Harvard with his two other colleagues has recently come up with evidence that suggests that gender discrimination is as old as the horse and plough. Further, use of the plough as a tool of ancient farming is an important variable in explaining the unequal gender roles even of today. In their research-based article titled ‘Women and the plough’, Alesina and his colleagues suggest that the use of the plough in agriculture has a positive correlation with gender inequality. It is negatively correlated with female labour force participation, female firm ownership, and female participation in politics, according to the evidence presented by these economists.

The evidence presented by Professor Alesina and his team is not that startling and cannot be termed new in the true sense of the word. We can find exhaustive historical and sociological accounts on the influence of social, political and historical forces that have been instrumental in shaping the present-day gender roles, especially in a traditional society like ours. In modern times, Ester Boserup’s book titled Women’s Role in Economic Development presents a vivid description of how the gender role differences owe their genesis to various forms of agriculture practised in the history of mankind.

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