NREGA: Women's Participation and Child Care

(Revised Questionnaire, August 2007)

[Investigator: This questionnaire is addressed to an adult woman who works on NREGA and has at
least one child below the age of six years. For multiple-choice questions, please circle the correct
answer. Otherwise, please write in the spaces provided.]

1. Background Questions

1.1. Date ______________________________________________________________________

1.2. Name of Block _____________________________________________________________
1.3. Name of Gram Panchayat ______________________________________________________
1.4. Name of Village _____________________________________________________________
1.5. Name of Worksite ___________________________________________________________
1.6. Date of commencement of the worksite ___________________________________________
1.7. Name of investigator __________________________________________________________

2. Respondent's Details

2.1. Name:_________ Caste:____________ Age:____-______

2.2. Education level

a. Illiterate
b. Literate (below primary)
c. Primary (Class V, complete)
d. Upper Primary (class VIII complete)
e. Secondary (class X complete)
f. High School (class XII complete)

2.3. Marital Status

a. Married
b. Widow
c. Divorced/Abandoned/Separated
d. Unmarried
e. Other

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2.4. Number of family members in each age group
[Investigator: While filling the table below, please focus on the nuclear family of the respondent.
Fill all the cells (enter '0' whenever appropriate) and make sure that the row total is the same as the
column total.]

Age group No. of Males No. of Females Total

0-3 years
3-6 years
6-14 years
15-49 years
50 and above
Total

2.5. What is the age of your youngest child? ______years______months

2.6. Is this child being breastfed at the moment? Yes / No

(a) If breastfed, do you fed this child any food other than breastmilk? Yes / No

(b) If yes, please describe briefly _________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

3. Household Details

3.1. Main Economic Activities of the household

a. Casual Agricultural labour
b. Casual non-agricultural labour
c. Cultivation
d. Other self-employment
e. Salaried employment
f. Other (specify)

3.2. Main occupation of the respondent's husband (if applicable) ____________________________

3.3. During the last twelve months, how many days (approximately) have you been working away
from the village as a migrant labourer?
______________________ days

3.4. During the last twelve months, how many days (approximately) has your husband been working
away from the village as a migrant labourer?
______________________ days

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3.5. At the moment, does your husband live in the village or elsewhere? ___________________

3.6. Amount of land owned (in Bighas) ______________________________________________

4. Employment-related Questions

[Investigator: The following questions refer specifically to employment on NREGA, at or around the
time of the interview.]

4.1. What sort of work are you doing at the worksite? Please describe briefly.
___________________________________________________________________________________

4.2. Do you face any health related problems when working at the EGA work site, such as tiredness,
body/back ache, breathing difficulties, etc.?
Yes /No
If yes, describe

_________________________________________________________________________

4.3. Has there been any injury/accident/death at this work-site? Yes / No

If yes, describe. Also, give details of any government assistance/compensation that was
provided, if any.
_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

4.4. Have you ever faced any harassment at the EGA work site? Yes /No
[Examples: no breaks for breastfeeding; caste-related harassment; sexual harassment; harsh
supervision; being asked to do heavy work in spite of pregnancy, illness, etc.]

If yes, describe
_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

4.5. How many days have you worked at this worksite so far? _____________________ days

4.6. How much are you being paid, on an average day?

________________ (in Rs) / Unable to Tell

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4.7. How much were you paid, the last time wages were paid? ______________ (in Rs.)

4.8. For how many days of work? ______________ days

4.9. What is the minimum wage due to NREGA labourers, according to the law?
________________ (in Rs) / Unable to Tell
4.10. Would you prefer payment in cash or grain?
a. Cash
b. Grain
c. Combination

Why? _______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

4.11. Do you normally have lunch at the worksite, or at home?

a. At worksite
b. At home
c. Sometimes at worksite, sometimes at home

4.12. What did you eat today (last time you worked)? (needs to be revised based on cultural context)
a. Roti with dal
b. Roti with sabzi
c. Roti with pyaaz or mirchi
d. Roti with salt
e. Other, specify

5. Child care related Questions

5.1. Is there any child-care facility (crèche) at this work site?

Yes / No
5.2. Are you aware that there should be a child-care facility (crèche) at the work site?
Yes / No

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[Investigator: Throughout this section, please remember to focus on the youngest child only.]

5.3. When you work at the site, where do you normally keep your youngest child?
[Investigator: Circle the relevant option. If the child is sometimes kept in one place and sometimes in
another (e.g. Sometimes at home and sometimes at the worksite), you can circle several options.]

a. With you at the worksite

b. At the worksite creche
c. At home
d. At the anganwadi/balwadi
e. At school
f. Other (specify)

[Investigator: Please ask the respondent to explain why she has opted for this arrangement, and not
any of the other options listed above, then record her explanation in the space below. Make careful
note of the reasons why she is not keeping the child at home, at the anganwadi, or at the worksite (as
applicable).]

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

[Investigator: Among the five sub-sections that follow, you should fill only those (one or more) that
correspond to the options you have just circled. For instance, if the child is kept at the worksite near
the mother, fill only the first sub-section and skip the other ones.]

If the child is with mother at work site

5.4. Where do you keep the child when you work?

a. Beside her on the ground
b. In a shaded spot close to her
c. In a Palna/ jhoola
d. In the care of older siblings at the worksite.
e. Other, specify

5.5. Do you face any difficulties in looking after the child when working at the work site?
Yes /No

If yes, explain _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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5.6. How do you feed the child at the work site?
a. Breastfeeding
b. Child shares mother’s food
c. Other, specify

If child is at work site crèche

5.7. Where is the creche located?

a. under a tree
b. in a shed
c. in the open close to work site
d. not so close to work site
e. Other, describe

5.8. Who is in charge of the creche?

_______________________________________________________________________________

5.9. How many children are there normally at the crèche? _______

5.10. Is there anything available at the creche?

a. Food
b. Medicines
c. Toys
d. Water
e. Gadda/ Guddri /Taat etc.,
f. Other (specify)
_____________________________________________________________________

5.11. How do you feed the child at the work site?

a. Breastfeeding
b. Child shares mother’s food
c. Fed at the crèche
d. Other specify

5.12. Are you satisfied with the crèche in terms of taking care of your child?
Yes / No
If no, describe ______________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

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If child is left at home

5.13. Who takes care of the child?

a. sibling
b. mother-in-law
c. husband
d. neighbours
e. child is left alone
f. other, specify

5.14. Do you feel anxious about the child when you are at work?
Yes / No
If yes, explain _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

5.15. Would you bring the child to the work site if there were a crèche facility at the work site.
Yes / No
If no, why not? _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

If sending to village anganwadi

5.16. How long does it take for the child to reach the anganwadi?
______minutes
5.17. How does the child get to the anganwadi?
a. take the child myself
b. Mother drops the child to the centre
c. Sibling drops the child to the centre
d. Other family members drop the child to the centre
e. anganwadi helper fetches child
f. other, specify

5.18. Are you satisfied with the care your child receives at the village anganwadi?
Yes/ No
If no, why not? _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

5.19. Would you bring the child to the work site if there were a crèche facility at the work site.
Yes / No

If no, why not? _______________________________________________________________

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6. Other Questions

6.1. Do you keep the money that you earn at the work site?
a. Yes, all of it
b. Yes, some of it (what proportion)
c. No

6.2. How did you use your wages the last time you were paid?
___________________________________________________________________________________

6.3. During the last 12 months, have you used your NREGA wages for the following purposes:
[Investigator: Circle the relevant options.]

a. Child education
b. Health care
c. Savings
d. Repaying debts

6.4. What other source of cash earnings have you [the woman herself] had in the last few months
other than working on EGA?

___________________________________________________________________________________

6.5. If you [the woman herself] were not working on EGA at the moment, what sort of work would
you do?
___________________________________________________________________________________

6.6. Was it your own decision to go to work? Yes / No

If not, whose decision was it?

_____________________________________________________________________________

6.7. How important is EGA for the economic well-being of your family?
a. Very important
b. Somewhat important
c. Unimportant

Explain
_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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[Investigator:Use the blank side/ extra sheet to provide any other information of special interest / use.]

6.8. Do you feel that has NREGA has brought any significant change in your life?
Yes /No
If yes, please explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

6.9. Do you feel that NREGA has brought any significant change in the social life of the village?
Yes /No
If yes, please explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Observations
{Investigator: In the space below, please record any further observations of interest. For instance, any
details that might help to write a lively “case study” of this family. The more the better!]

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Other possible topics
{add a short section somewhere about the village anganwdi, e.g. How far it is, whether the child is
enrolled, whehter food is available there, etc. [see survey guidelines also]}

pregnancy and maternity entitlements

*** distance of the worksite from home?

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