Nevertheless, women's labour force participation and ability to participate in income-generating activities are limited because of the heavy workloads they already carry on account of their responsibilities for domestic work. The gender-based division of labour places an undue burden on women. Men acknowledge the fact that women's workloads are heavier than theirs. Men are responsible for land preparation, irrigation, fertilizer application, and marketing. Although preparation of the land for agriculture is undertaken mostly by men, shortages of family labour often compel women to assist men in this activity as well.
Women are commonly responsible for sowing, paddy transplanting, weeding, harvesting, and processing.
They also develop and maintain home gardens and market the products. Both men and women are responsible for collecting fuelwood and non-timber forest products. Timber is collected by men and women share the tasks of stall feeding, watering, cleaning the sheds, and fetching fodder. Moreover, they are responsible for fetching the water, cooking, and caring for the children. In some situations, women have limited access and control over land and other means of agricultural production.