Women in Punjab can also be known as Punjabans or Punjabi women. They are the female inhabitants of state of Punjab in India. They belong to diverse economic, social, cultural and caste backgrounds, but their residence in a common state gives them a shared identity. Women have made significant progress in Punjab but they still remain underrepresented in various fields due to the patriarchal structure still remaining intact in Punjabi society.
History During the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, schools for girls were also opened in many places. In 1870, to stop female infanticides, the British government passed a legislative act called Female Infanticide Prevention Act, 1870. This act banned the murder of female infants in Punjab and some other provinces. Names of some of the women from Punjab who participated in the freedom struggle of India are Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Gulab Kaur, Adarsh Kumari, Kishan Kaur, Amar Kaur, Dalip Kaur, Shushila Devi, Har Devi, Purani and Pushpa Gujral.
On 17 June 1956, Hindu Succession Act came into force. It gave the women right to inherit property.'Emerging Patterns: Property Rights of Women in Colonial and Post-Colonial South-East Punjab', by Prem Chowdhry, Page 115, Paragraph 2, https://punjab.global.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/sitefiles/journals/volume20/6-Prem%20Chowdhry%2020.pdf
In 1993 and 1994, the 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts were passed that reserved one-third of seats in Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) for women. These acts were passed to ensure equal participation for women. Rajinder Kaur Bhattal served as the first female Chief Minister of Punjab from November 1996 to February 1997. She took office after the resignation of Harcharan Singh Brar. She was the eighth female Chief Minister in Indian history.
On 14 October 2020, Punjab government passed ‘Punjab Civil Services (Reservation of Posts for Women) Rules, 2020’. This gave 33% reservation to women in direct recruitment to posts in state government, boards and corporations.'Punjab approves 33% reservation for women in state civil services' – The Indian Express, by: Express News Service Chandigarh, October 14, 2020, https://indianexpress.com/article/india/punjab-approves-33-reservation-for-women-in-state-civil-services-6725310/
In April 2024, Panjab University in Chandigarh became the first university associated with Punjab government to grant menstrual leave to female students, starting from the session 2024–25. The policy will allow leave of one day per one calendar month of teaching and maximum of four days leave per semester.'Punjab University Grants Menstrual Leave for Female Students' – Free Press Journal, https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/India/punjab-university-grants-menstrual-leave-for-female-students/ar-BB1lvcWM'Universities That Allow Menstrual Leaves For Female Students Will Include Punjab University Now' – Her zindagi, by Jyoti Sethi, Editorial, Updated – 2024-04-12, https://www.herzindagi.com/society-culture/universities-in-india-that-allow-menstrual-leaves-for-female-students-article-276605
Demographics As of 2011 census, women constitute 47.23% of total population of Punjab, as compared to 48.5% at the national level. In the same year, the sex ratio of Punjab was 895, which was lower than the national average of 943. As of 2011, the child sex ratio of children between the ages of 0 and 6 years was 846, which was lower than the national average of 914.https://www.ijrar.org/papers/IJRAR19D1257.pdf, Page number 781
The table below shows the sex ratio of Punjab through the years.
+Decadal sex ratio of Punjab by census yearsYear (Census)Sex Ratio201189520018761991882198187919718651961854195184419418361931815192179919118701901832
As of 2011, among the different districts of Punjab, the sex ratio was highest in Hoshiarpur at 961 and lowest in Bathinda at 868. The table below shows the sex ratio of Punjab by district, according to the 2011 census.
+Sex ratio of Punjab by district, 2011 censusSr. No.DistrictRatio1Hoshiarpur9612SBS Nagar9543Rupnagar9154Jalandhar9155Kapurthala9126Gurdaspur9077Tarn Taran9008Sri Muktsar Sahib8969Fazilka89410Moga89311Ferozepur89312Patiala89113Faridkot 89014Amritsar88915Sangrur88516Mansa88317SAS Nagar87918Barnala87619Ludhiana87320Fatehgarh Sahib87121Pathankot86922Bathinda868 Punjab895
+Number of urban people by gender in districts – Census 2011DistrictFemales (Urban)Males (Urban)Gurdaspur1,68,5631,92,059Pathankot1,33,9231,64,243Amritsar6,23,4697,11,142Tarn Taran66,74875,047Kapurthala1,32,0831,50,379Jalandhar5,44,7506,16,421SBS Nagar60,24375,173Hoshiarpur1,60,3821,74,587Rupnagar84,41193,396SAS Nagar2,56,3422,88,269Ludhiana9,55,33611,14,372Ferozepur1,32,0341,53,433Fazilka1,25,0931,41,996Faridkot1,01,1621,15,889Sri Muktsar Sahib1,18,7711,33,420Moga1,07,0301,20,216Bathinda2,30,5042,68,713Mansa77,05686,548Sangrur2,42,5892,73,376Barnala88,3731,02,312Patiala3,59,5584,03,722Fatehgarh Sahib84,7371,00,745Punjab (whole)48,53,15755,45,989
Health As of 2020, the percentage of deaths due to heart disease was higher in women than men, 41.8% for females compared to 32.2% for males. In the same year, the percentage of deaths due to COVID-19 was lower for women compared to men, 13.4% for males and 9.9% for females.
The table below shows the state nutrition profile of Punjab for women between the ages of 15 and 49 years. +State nutrition profile of Punjab of women below the age of 15 to 49, by yearsIndicators2019–212015–162005-6Underweight13%12%19%Anemia (non-preg)59%54%38%Anemia (pregnant)52%42%42%Hypertension31%15%NADiabetes15%NANAOverweight/Obesity (BMI ≥25.0 kg/m2)41%31%30%
In 2019, the female cervical cancer incidence rate in Punjab was 13 per 100,000 women in all ages. This was less than the rate of 14.75 in 1990. The female cervical cancer mortality rate was 7.14 per 100,000 women of all ages in 2019. This was lower than the rate of 9.34 in 1990.
Life Expectancy Between 2013 and 2017, the life expectancy at birth for women in Punjab was 74 years, compared to the total of 72.4 years and 71 for males.
The table below shows the life expectancy in Punjab by gender and residence in 2013–17.
+Life expectancy in Punjab by gender in 2013–17ResidenceFemaleMaleTotalRural72.970.171.4Urban76.672.474.1Total747172.4
Estimated from civil registration and vital statistics system (CRVSS) data, the table below shows the life expectancy by gender in the districts of Punjab, in 2012.
+Estimated life expectancy in the districts of Punjab, in 2012, based on CRVSS dataDistrictFemale (Years)Male (Years)Amritsar6964Bathinda8171Barnala7670Faridkot7367Fatehgarh Sahib7772Firozpur8074Gurdaspur7670Hoshiarpur7568Jalandhar6963Kapurthala8474Ludhiana7769Mansa7669Moga7470Muktsar6669Patiala7268Rupnagar7569SAS Nagar7670Sangrur7670SBS Nagar7564Taran Taran7366
Childbirth In 2019–21, 94.3% of the births were institutional births in Punjab, which was an increase from 90.5% in 2015–16. Of this, 53.9% were institutional births in public facility, which was up from 51.7% in 2015–16. In rural areas, the births in public facility were 57.6%, compared to 47.0% in urban areas, for year 2019–21. The percentage of home births that were conducted by a skilled health personnel was 2.6%, it was 3.0% for urban areas and 2.3% for rural areas. In 2015–16, this percentage was 4.5%. Of the total, 95.6% births were attended by a skilled health personnel, 2019–21. For urban areas, this rate was 93.7% and 96.6% for rural areas.
Of the total births in Punjab, 38.5% were delivered by caesarean section in 2019–21. This number was 24.6% in 2015–16. For private health facilities, 55.5% of the births were by caesarean section, in 2019–20, compared to 29.9% for public healthcare facilities. In 2015–16, this number was 39.7% for private and 29.9% for public health facilities. For private health facilities, the rate was 57.0% for rural areas and 53.4% for urban areas in 2019–21. For public health facilities, the rate was 29.1% in rural areas and 31.1% in urban areas, in the same year.
The table below shows the maternal mortality rate per one lakh (1,00,000) per year, through the years.
+Maternal mortality rate per one lakh (1,00,000) per year, in Punjab through the yearsYearRate20171222016122201512220141222013141201214120111412006192
According to the National Family Health Survey of 2015–16, the percentage of women age 15–19 who have begun childbearing (teenage pregnancy) was 2.6%.
The table below shows the variation the fertility rate (children per woman) according to the education of a woman in Punjab, as of 2019–21.
+Fertility rate by number of years of schooling completed by women in Punjab as of year 2019–21, NFHS-5http://rchiips.org/nfhs/NFHS-5Reports/Punjab.pdf, page 8Years of schoolingFertility rateNo schooling2.5<5 years2.55–9 years2.010–11 years1.912 or more years1.5
Reproductive Health The table below shows the current use of family planning methods by currently married women between the age of 15 and 49 years, in Punjab.
+Family planning methods used by women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, in PunjabMethodTotal (2019–21) Urban (2019–21)Rural (2019–21)Total (2015–16)Female sterilization22.8%18.0%25.6%37.5%Male sterilization0.5%0.5%0.4%0.6%IUD/PPIUD3.1%2.8%3.2%6.8%Pill1.5%1.1%1.7%2.5%Condom22.2%26.6%19.7%18.9%Injectables0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%Any modern method50.5%49.4%51.1%66.3%Any method66.6%68.4%65.4%75.8%Total unmet need9.9%8.8%10.5%6.2%Unmet need for spacing3.7%3.3%3.9%2.4%
The table below compares the reproductive health statistics women between the ages of 15 and 45 years in Punjab at the national level.
+Comparison of reproductive health statistics of women between the ages of 15 and 45 years in Punjab at national level"The Family Planning Programme – Punjab, India", Page 3, Table 1, https://nhm.punjab.gov.in/advertisements/guidelines/familyplanning.pdfIndicatorsPunjab (2015–16)India (2015–16)Total Fertility Rate (TFR)1.62.2Any Method Contraception Rate (CPR)75.8%53.5%Modern Contraception Rate (mCPR)66.3%47.8%Total Unmet Need6.2%12.9%20–24 year olds who were married before the age of 18 years7.6%26.8%15–19 years olds who were already mothers or pregnant2.6%7.9%
Other According to the NFHS-5 (2019–21), the percentage of women between the ages of 15 and 24 years who use hygienic methods of protection during their menstrual period in Punjab was 93.2%. This was an increase from the 2015–16 percentage of 84.4%. In the year 2019–21, the number was 95.4% for urban areas and 91.9% for rural areas.National Family Health Survey – 5 2019–21, State Fact Sheet Punjab, Row Number 124, http://rchiips.org/nfhs/NFHS-5_FCTS/Punjab.pdf
Education According to the 2011 census, the literacy rate of women in Punjab was 70.73%, as compared to 80.44% for men and 75.84% as a whole. The median number of years of schooling completed by females in the state was 6.5 years, as compared to 7.8 for males, as of 2011.
Between 2001 and 2011, the literacy gap between men and women decreased from 11.9% to 9.7%. Among the different districts of Punjab, the literacy rate of women was highest in Hoshiarpur at 80.3% and lowest in Mansa at 55.7%.
The table below shows the difference in the literacy rate by gender in Punjab through the years.
+Difference in the literacy rate by gender in Punjab through the years'Participation of women in education in Punjab', by SA Saiyed and Rajni Pathania, International journal of applied research, Page 67, Table 1, https://www.allresearchjournal.com/archives/2015/vol1issue9/PartB/1-8-62-166.pdfYearFemaleMaleGap Total201170.73%80.44%9.71%75.84%200163.55%75.63%12.08%69.95%199150.41%65.66%15.25%58.51%198134.35%51.23%16.88%43.37%197126.65%42.23%17.58%34.12%
The table below shows the difference in the literacy rate of women in rural and urban areas in Punjab.