Sericulture provides significant opportunities for empowering women through employment and income generation. It involves various steps from mulberry cultivation to silk fabric production that women can participate in, such as mulberry leaf plucking, silkworm rearing, cocoon harvesting, and silk reeling. These activities do not require heavy physical labor and can be done alongside domestic duties. As a result, sericulture helps improve women's socioeconomic status and independence. However, women face some constraints like lack of access to resources, training, and marketing support. Still, as women's involvement in sericulture grows, it leads to greater empowerment and development outcomes for women and their communities.

1. EMPOWERMENT OF
WOMEN THROUGH
SERICULTURE

2. Sericulture industry which ensures flow of money from affluent to
effluent class of society is one of the unique agro-based industries
which holds a greater promise for the women folk of the country
by way of employing them in its various operations right from
sowing of mulberry seed to the making of fine product – the silk
fabric.
The various components involved in the sericulture provide
greater opportunity for the women to earn their livelihood and
elevate their socio-economic status through income augmentation.
The working proficiency of women folk is perhaps one of the major
attractions provided to them through sericulture and more so the
practice of mulberry cultivation or silkworm rearing does not
involve any drudgery.

3. SERICULTURE
Sericulture is the art and science of rearing the
silkworms for the production of raw silk which is
the yarn obtained from the cocoons spun by the
silkworms. Sericulture is an agro-based rural
industry which is ecologically and economically
sustainable activity especially for the poor, small
and marginal farmers and women stakeholders in
particular.

4. Sericulture is one of the rural based agro industries
with global reach. It is remunerative and employment
oriented enterprise. While providing sustainable
income and employment opportunities to the rural
poor who are the main practitioners, silk production
activity fetches an annual export earnings of more
than US$600 million.

5. Sericulture is a labor intensive industry in all its
phases. It can generate employment up to 11 persons
for every kg of raw silk produced. Out of which more
than 6 persons are women.
More than 60.00 lakh persons are employed as full
time workers in the production chain out of which 35-
40 lakh persons are women (Rama Lakshmi C.S. 2007).

6. Globally, Asia is regarded as the main producer
of silk as it produces over 95 % of the total
global output. The bulk of it is produced in
China, India, Uzbekistan and Brazil.

7. Country/Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
China 84000 115000 104000 126000 130000
India 19690 20410 23060 23679 26480
Brazil 811 770 558 614 550
Indonesia 19 20 20 20 16
Iran 82 75 120 123 123
Japan 72 54 42 30 30
Thailand 665 655 655 655 680
Turkey 20 18 22 22 25
Uzbekistan 780 940 940 940 980
Others 30 31 47 57 59
Total 106169 138505 129684 152890 159718
WORLDRAWSILK PRODUCTION (MT)
Source : International Sericulture Commission

8. 0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
106169
138505
129684
152890
159718
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
YEAR
Source: International sericulture commission
WORLDRAWSILKPRODUCTION(MT)
S
I
L
K
P
R
O
D
U
C
T
I
O
N
(MT)

9. India is the second largest producer of raw silk
after China and the biggest consumer of raw silk
and silk fabrics.
India has been ranked as the second major and
largest raw silk producer in the world as it
contributes about 18% to the total world raw silk
production.

10. Source : Inserco

11. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
6.12 6.31
6.82
7.25
7.56 7.6
EMPLOYMENT GENERATION
YEAR
M
I
L
L
I
O
N
P
E
R
S
O
N
S
Source :Inserco

12. Source :Inserco

13. Source :Inserco

14. Source :Inserco
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
2231.082353.33
2863.762892.44
3178.19
2727.87
EXPORT EARNING
I
N
D
I
A
N
R
U
P
E
E
S
(cr)
YEAR

15. Source :Inserco
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
2008-09 2009-2010 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
9709
9034
7494
6380
5122
IMPORT OF SILK AND SILK GOODS(MT)
YEAR
Q
U
A
N
T
I
T
Y

16. JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Sericulture continues to be a subsidiary occupation for
around 30000 silkworm rearers in the State. Most of
these rearers belong to marginalized sections of the
society. Annually about 1022 MT of cocoons is
produced in the State.

17. Source: Central Silk Board

18. Components of Sericulture
1. Mulberry cultivation
2. Silkworm rearing
3. Post cocoon technology
4. Reeling
5. Weaving
6. Fabric making

19. 1.Mulberry cultivation:
It involves cultivation of food plants for the
silkworm.
2.Silkworm rearing:
Rearing of silkworms for the production of raw
silk .
3.Post cocoon technology:
It includes the operations done after the
formation of cocoon e.g harvesting, deflossing,
sorting etc.

20. 4. Reeling:
It is the process of unwinding the silk filament
from the cocoons.
5.Weaving:
It is the process of making fabric from the silk
threads.
Other post-cocoon processes are twisting,
dyeing, printing and finishing.

21. ROLE OF WOMEN
Women constitute more than 50% of the world’s
population, one third of the labor force, and perform
nearly two thirds of all working hours. It is estimated
that India is the home to 12.7 crores working women
and 90% of them are working in the unorganized sector
(Census of India 2001).

22. It is a very common scene in the rural areas that
women shoulder more responsibility than men. All
household work is done by women. Women do all the
cooking and cleaning of the house, and in their spare
time help men folk with farm work also e.g planting,
hoeing, reaping, carrying grain, winnowing, hulling and
fitting the grain stores.

23. In short they assist men folk in all the agricultural
related operations and components of agriculture and
one such component is sericulture.
Legend has it that none of the agricultural operations
would be complete with out the intervention of women.

24. Having said that women are taking part in various
agricultural operations pertaining to different crops, yet
sericulture venture is unique to all of them in the sense
that women in this venture are employed directly or
indirectly in all its minor and major operations from soil
to silk and from grub to glamour.

25. It has been reported that women contribute
about 50% and 60% of labour to mulberry
cultivation and silkworm rearing, respectively
(Gate, 2001; Goyal, 2007; Kasi, 2011; Panda,
2007; N. Singh, 2006; Srinath, 2008; Thamizoli,
2001; V. Vijayalakshmi, 2002).

26. Sericulture activity %age of women
participation
Mulberry cultivation 49.55
Silkworm rearing 49.67
Seed production 20.46
Reeling 48.81
Throwing 56.66
Weaving 49
Dyeing 65
Spinning 80
Eighty per cent of the sericulture activities except
strenuous and hard jobs like digging, ploughing and
carrying heavy loads, can be carried out by women
independently .

27. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
49.55 49.67
20.46
48.81
56.66
49
65
80
Source : Central silk board
Sericulture activity
W
O
M
E
N
P
A
R
T
I
C
P
A
T
I
O
N
(%)

28. LEAF HARVESTING

30. When the silkworm matures and time is ripe for spinning the
cocoons, it is again women who are employed for picking the ripe
worms and putting them on the chandrikas (bamboo mountages on
which silkworms are placed when they are just about to spin their
cocoons).

31. When the cocoons are spun by the silkworm it is
time for harvest . Harvesting is done by women
alongside men.

32. Women participating in cocoon market.

33. Sorting of cocoons is such a job that can be done by
Women along with the household jobs.

34. Coming to the post cocoon technology, the involvement of
women is greater, commencing from deflossing, silk reeling,
weaving, and garment manufacturing industry.

35. Silk reeling being attended by lady worker

36. Whether it is a charkha, cottage basin, steam filature, or automatic or
semiautomatic reeling, women are preferred due to the dexterity of
their fingers in getting the fine filaments from the cocoons, casting of
the ends, and their patience to work in hot water and seam for long
hours.

37. Silk reeling performed by Kashmiri lady entrepreneur at
Anantnag.

38. Women sericulturist from southern India has a story to
tell. Having started from sericulture she is one of the best
entrepreneurs and major stakeholders of Self help groups
in her region. This is what silkworm rearing and mulberry
cultivation has bestowed her with.

40. As women have a crucial role in the activities of
sericulture, it equally creates opportunities and make
them independent socially, economically, politically,
and otherwise (Geetha & Indira, 2010, 2011; Goyal,
2007; Pillai & Shanta, 2011; Thomas, Muradian, de Groot,
& de Ruijter, 2010; Vasanthi, 1992; Vijayanthi, 2002).

41. Although the contribution of women in various operations
of sericulture is enormous yet the contribution of women in
the sector is invisible due to various constraints and they
can be summarized as follows:
● Lack of women oriented approaches in research, planning,
implementation and evaluation of schemes.
● Lack of congenial marketing services in the farm and
non-farm sectors.

42. ● Inadequacy of women extension workers .
●Methodologies, time duration, location of training
programmes put constraints on women’s participation.
●Lack of consistency in the projects implementation.
●Lack of access to infrastructure like land, water,
electricity, machinery, credit for working capital, attitude
of people working in the financial institutions pose
limitations.

43. Despite the constraints, the women participate in the
activities of sericulture, thus provide ample scopes for
their development through awareness, capacity building
through imparting training / demonstration of
technologies, processes, techniques etc. and guiding for
empowerment so that the society will be socioeconomically
uplifted and the country as well as Sericulture is one
among the high income generating industry, hence
promoting women entrepreneurs in Sericulture will lead to
country’s economic development and empowerment of
women.

44. Further empowering the empowered through rich harvest boom.
Even sericulture practice elicits response of taking over to
silkworm rearers by the fellow colleagues………..THE WOMEN

45. Even desks of International sericulture commission are
headed by a lady……..What a promise

46. Efforts of women sericulturists
being felicitated

47. End user --------again the women

48. CONCLUSION
Conclusively I would like to convey a message that
perhaps gone are the days of apathy and shyness and
the way ahead for women in sericulture is full of zeal
and zest.
It is heartening to note that number of women in
sericulture is steadily increasing in recent years
which is perhaps an indicator of gradual acceptance by
the society about their capabilities and as such they
are now involved in income augmentation and decision
making.

49. I feel this change in mind set is certainly not caused by the magic
but has been possible due to persistent and consistent efforts of
the women in the field of sericulture besides her domestic pre-
occupations.
We should at the end make an effort to:
Ear mark more funds for women in sericulture.
Reduce drudgery in mechanization
Give more incentives to women in sericulture
Involve them in planning process.
and above all conduct effective training programmes for their
overall capacity building.