Women Behind the Loom: Empowering Rural India through Handloom Enterprises

The handloom industry represents national pride due to its deep- rootedness in culture, tradition and history, all of which makes India unique. The handloom sector is the second largest employment sector after agriculture, employing millions of rural craftsmen. According to the last Handloom Census of 2019-20, the share of women workers in the industry was 72.29% of total handloom workers. Additionally, the Handcraft industry in India is dominated by female artisans with over 56% of the total artisans. This makes the handloom sector an integral part of India’s commitment to women empowerment and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Empowering Rural India

The handloom sector is largely driven by rural artists who have been carrying on the tradition through generations. Women, often primary weavers, carry on the heritage by sustaining their family-based units or establishing new ones with the help of other locals. 

The industry plays an important role in minimizing rural-urban migration by providing local job opportunities. Women artisans benefit largely from this as they can continue to be with their family and earn, balancing both social and financial responsibilities. Financial independence increases their decision making power and also gives them a standing with their family and community. Empowering women changes the social fabric of the rural sector as it promotes gender equality and women’s rights. 

Digital Transformation & Newer Markets 

The rise of e-commerce and social media has opened multiple avenues for artisans across the country. Many e-commerce platforms and startups in this space are enabling women artisans to showcase their products to a wider audience, cutting out middlemen and increasing their livelihood. 

Interestingly, emerging brands are positioning themselves on the premise of empowering women and promoting sustainable fashion. These enterprises focus on fair trade, supporting women who make eco-friendly products and ethical consumption, creating niche markets for handloom products domestically and globally. 

NGOs in the space are working with women artisans by organising them into self-help groups (SHGs) and cooperatives, which gives them a stronger voice in local markets. They also focus on capacity building through design innovation, quality improvement, technological training and business skills, helping women meet evolving consumer demands.  

Promoting Women SHGs through GeM

The Womaniya initiative in the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) showcases products made by women entrepreneurs and women self-help groups, by aligning them with opportunities to sell their products to various Government ministries, departments and institutions. They also have a special category for products such as handicrafts and handlooms, allowing the work of these rural women to reach a wider market. The Saras Collection, featured on GeM portal is a curated range of handicrafts and handloom textiles.

Furthermore, this initiative aligns with the Government’s effort of reserving 3 percent in public procurement from women MSME entrepreneurs and this offers immense potential for procurement.

The Way Ahead 

The growth of the handloom sector is inextricably linked with empowerment of women. Women artisans need regular exposure to design trends and quality standards so that their products can remain competitive. Microfinance and better credit facilities should also be extended to ease the process and reduce exploitation of manual labour. Continued government procurement, subsidies for raw materials and market access initiatives will help women-led handloom enterprises flourish. 

As handloom and handicrafts is still largely unorganised, there is an urgent need to formalise the actor and ensure that women artisans deserve the recognition and protection they deserve. Welfare benefits like insurance, pensions and maternity support must be extended through various government initiatives. 

Lastly, these women artisans should be integrated into value chains as decision-makers and leaders, not just producers. Empowering women behind the loom is not just socio-economic progress, but paving the way for a stronger and equitable India.