Lightening the load for the working woman

The fallout of such a routine is most evident on health, and on this count, there was little to surprise the researchers. Most of the respondents were found to be of low weight, with thin, cylindrical bodies and of average physical fitness. However, almost all reported good aerobic capacities. The number found in excellent health was very few.

To a large extent, though, the responsibility for the stress must lie with the women themselves. Researchers found that they often adopted unnatural postures (bending or squatting at awkward angles) while doing farm, dairy or household work. The spinal column, for instance, was found to be variously bent to 63 degrees (during harvesting), 58 degrees (during transplanting), 32 degrees (while uprooting seedlings) and 17 degrees (during weeding).

The impact of the poor posture was immediately evident in the women’s responses. Almost all of them complained of severe to very severe pain in the neck, shoulder joints, lower back, knee, upper thigh and feet. The commonplace method of dealing with the pain and discomfort was to change the posture as frequently as possible.

However, the researchers found that more than such temporary measures, the women received far more relief from some thoughtfully designed farm implements. Improved sickles for cutting fodder, an ergonomic dibbler, a long-handled wiper for mud-plastering, a handsome-sized kilta for storing plucked tea leaves were all found to reduce the drudgery and discomfort level for the women.

Moreover, the use of improved tools also enhanced work efficiency, reduced the time input and thereby cut back on the total cardiac and physiological cost of work.

(Source: ICAR)