Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Self-employment is a major source of livelihood for both men and women in India.
Reason (R): Casual wage work is the second major source of livelihood for women workers in India.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Assertion (A): Self-employment is a major source of livelihood for both men and women in India. — True. It covers more than half of both men and women workers.
Reason (R): Casual wage work is the second major source of livelihood for women workers in India. — True. For women, casual work comes after self-employment.
Why R does not explain A?
R is about the second source of work, and only for women. It says nothing about why self-employment comes first for both men and women.
The real explanation of A is that most people who depend on farming own plots of land and cultivate them on their own, so they are self-employed.
NCERT (2026-27): “6.4 Self-employed and Hired Workers … Look at Chart 6.1 you will notice that self-employment is a major source of livelihood for both men and women as this category accounts for more than 50 per cent of the workforce. Casual wage work is the second major source for women. When it comes to regular salaried employment, men are found to be so engaged in greater proportion. Men form 21 per cent whereas women form 16 per cent. The gap between men and women is very less. When we compare the distribution of workforce in rural and urban areas in Chart 6.2 you will notice that the self-employed are found more in rural areas than in urban areas. In the latter, both self-employment and regular wage salaried jobs are greater. In rural areas, since majority of those depending on farming own plots of land and cultivate independently, the share of self-employed is greater. …” |