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The paper examines the time allocation between paid work (wage earning or self-employed work generally termed as employment work) and unpaid (domestic chores/care work generally termed as non-employment work) along with wage rates, imputed earnings, and occupational structure among men and women and according to different social groups to establish the extent to which the rural labour market is discriminated by sex and social group. The major objective of the paper is to show the differential in wage income between men and women in farm and non-farm activities. The paper also shows the division of time between employment and non-employment activities by men and women. The paper uses high-frequency data and applies econometric techniques to know the factors behind time allocation among different activities across gender. The study finds that males spend more hours on employment work and work at a higher wage rate than females. As a result, a vast monetary income gap between men and women is observed, even though women worked more hours if employment and non-employment activities are jointly taken into consideration. Time spent on employment work and non-employment (mainly domestic chores) has been found to vary significantly due to social identity, household wealth, land, income, education, and skill. The segregation of labour market by sex was evident in this study, with men shifting to non-farm occupations with greater monetary returns and continued dependence on women’s farm activities. Enhancing the ownership of land and other assets, encouraging women’s participation particularly among minorities, and improving health are some of the policy recommendations directed from this study to enhance participation in employment work and shifting towards higher wage income employment.

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Solid waste management is a multidimensional challenge, especially in developing countries like India. This paper presents the findings of a study carried out in thirty-two urban local bodies of West Bengal to determine the solid waste generation rate and waste composition based on field surveys covering 5,000 households. The services delivered for solid waste management, the institutional arrangements and the constraints in meeting the prescribed standards have been studied. The level of satisfaction of the citizens and related socio-economic factors were also covered under the study. The collected data was analysed to relate waste generation, composition, segregation and community participation. This study also aimed to contribute to a better understanding of household waste management behaviour by examining solid waste management practices and attitudes. Results from this study will provide inputs to the environmental and waste management planners in their decisions on solid waste segregation and recycling activities in the municipalities and municipal corporations.