Does the Nature of Employment Affect the Socio-economic Status of Handloom Weavers? Evidence from Western Orissa

Abstract

This article attempts to study the effect of the employment nature of handloom weaver households on their income and socio-economic status (SES) in Western Odisha. This study is based on primary data collected from weaver households in selected sample villages of Bargarh and Subarnapur districts. The field survey was conducted in 390 weaver households from September 2022 to February 2023. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to analyse the primary data. The study shows that weaver households’ income and SES are poor and low, and the different nature of their employment strongly affects their income and SES. Weaver under a master weaver earns the lowest, and their SES is also the lowest in the handloom sector in the study area. However, relatively independent weavers earn better, and their SES is higher than those working under master weavers and cooperative societies in Western Odisha. The study recommends that the government provide loans and credit facilities to weavers to enable them to work independently and ensure the proper functioning of the cooperative society to increase its effectiveness.