Malay women and rice production in west Malaysia
Ng, C.
Women, development and survival in the Third World: 188-210
1991
Document Number: 312729
The purpose of rural development in West Malaysia is to increase agricultural productivity, and consequently farm income, through the introduction of modern farming methods and institutions in the rural sector. The paper discusses the changes, particularly in the realm of gender relations and labour utilization patterns in rice cultivation in a West Malaysian village. The main focus of the paper is on the transformation that occurs for rural women when advanced mechanization is practised in the rice sector in rural Malaysia. After describing the village setting and study methodology, the changing role of women in rice production under advanced mechanization is discussed. This is related to their increased role in reproduction and the implications in terms of their access to household and agricultural resources. Several case studies are presented. The final section summarizes the changing nature of gender relations under the onslaught of rural modernization and proposes some policy recommendations for the advancement of rural women's status.