1. HOUSES, HOUSEHOLD
AMENITIES & ASSETS AMONG
FEMALE HEADED HOUSEHOLDS
HIGHLIGHTS FROM CENSUS 2011
DR. C. CHANDRAMOULI
Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India

2. Tables on Houses, Household Amenities
& Assets
• After the conclusion of Census of India 2011, Tables
on Houses, Household Amenities and Assets have
been released in March 2012
• Selected tables from the above compilation are now
released classified by sex of the Head of the
Households for the first time in the history of Census.
• These tables will help to provide an insight into the
living conditions of the Female Headed Households in
the country.

3. Today’s Release
Tables on Houses, Household Amenities & Assets
for Female Headed Households (FHHs)
1. Predominant materials of roof and wall
2. Predominant material of floor
3. Type of structure of the census house occupied
4. Ownership status, Household size and number of dwelling room
5. Source and location of drinking water and availability of
electricity & latrine
6. Availability of bathing facility and type of drainage connectivity
for waste water outlet
7. Availability of separate kitchen and fuel used for cooking
8. Availability of type of latrine facility
9. Availing banking services and households having each of the
specified assets

4. Today’s Release
Tables on Houses, Household Amenities & Assets
for Female Headed Households (FHHs)
• All these tables are available for
• Total population, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes
• Total, Rural and Urban residence
• Level: Country, State, District, Sub-district, Town
• Up to District level for SC/ST Tables

5. Definition of a ‘Household’
• A 'household' is usually a group of persons who
normally live together and take their meals from a
common kitchen unless the exigencies of work
prevent any of them from doing so.
• The persons in a household may be related or
unrelated or a mix of both.

6. Definition of a ‘Head of the Household’
• The head of the household for Census purposes is a
person who is recognized as such in the household.
• She or he is generally the person who bears the chief
responsibility for the maintenance of the household
and takes decisions on behalf of the household.
• The head of the household need not necessarily be
the eldest male member.

7. SUMMARY FINDINGS

8. Summary of Findings - 1
• There are about 27 million female headed
households in the country. They constitute
10.9% of the total households in the country.
27 million female 10.9 % of total
headed HH HHs of India

9. Summary of Findings - 2
• 43.7% of households in Lakshadweep and 23%
households in Kerala have a female as head
Female Headed households
23 % 43.7%
Kerala Lakshadweep

10. Summary of Findings - 3
• About 49 lakh Single Member Female HHs are there
in the country. Three-fourth of them live in rural
areas and the remaining in urban areas of the
country. Member Female households
Single
49 lakh 75% in rural
India area

11. Summary of Findings - 4
• In seven major States, the proportion of Single
Member Female Headed HH is more than 20%:
1. Chhattisgarh 29.9%
2. Madhya Pradesh 24.9%
3. Tamil Nadu 26.1%
4. Andhra Pradesh 27.1%
5. Maharashtra 22.2%
6. Odisha 22.1%
7. Gujarat 20.4%

12. Summary of Findings -5
• Larger proportion of Female Headed Households live
in ‘No exclusive room’ and in ‘One room’ dwelling
units compared to Male Headed Households.
• The household sizes in case of Female Headed
Households tend to be smaller than the Male Headed
Households.
• The proportions of households possessing different
assets is lower in case of Female Headed HHs in
comparison to Male Headed HH.

13. Classification of Households by Sex of the
Head of the Households
Indicator Total Rural Urban
Census 2011
Number of Households (in lakh)
Total 2,467 1,678 789
Male Headed 2,198 1,504 694
Female Headed 269 174 94
Number of Households (in %)
Total
Male Headed 89.1 89.6 88.0
Female Headed 10.9 10.4 12.0

14. Classification of Households by Sex of the
Head of the Households
100
Male Headed Female Headed
89.1 89.6 88
80
60
2011
INDIA
(HH in %)
40
20
10.9 10.4 12
0
Total Rural Urban

15. Less than 10.00% Female
Headed HHs in:
• Haryana (9.5%)
• Gujarat (9%)
• Chandigarh (8.9%)
• Jharkhand (8.6%)
• UP (8.3%)
• MP (8%)
• J&K (7.9%)
• Bihar (7.4%)
• DNH (5%)
• Rajasthan (4.0%)

16. Proportion of Female Headed Households
among Total, SC and ST
India
Indicator Total Rural Urban
Census 2011
HH (in %)
Female Headed HH (Total) 10.9 10.4 12.0
Female Headed HH (SC) 11.3 10.6 13.4
Female Headed HH (ST) 11.2 10.6 14.5

17. Classification of Households by Sex of the
Head of the Households
Indicator 2011 2001* Change
(% pts)
INDIA
Proportion of Male Headed HH (in %)
Total 89.1 89.7 -0.6
Rural 89.6 89.9 -0.3
Urban 88.0 89.0 -1.0
Proportion of Female Headed HH (in %)
Total 10.9 10.4 +0.5
Rural 10.4 10.1 +0.3
Urban 12.0 11.0 +1.0
Note: The Census 2001 data relates to Population Enumeration phase as similar data from
Houselisting phase is not available (see Table HH4 India)

18. Proportion of Female Headed Households
States, 2011, 2001 – All Areas
Area (State/UT) 2011 2001* Change
ALL AREAS (% pts)
1. Lakshadweep 40.2 34.4 +5.8
2. Kerala 22.7 22.6 +0.1
TOP 5
3. Meghalaya 21.7 23.0 - 1.3
4. Goa 20.3 21.1 -0.8
5. Himachal Pradesh 18.3 17.9 +0.4
1. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 5.0 6.3 -1.3
BOTTOM 5
2. Rajasthan 7.0 6.9 +0.1
3. Bihar 7.4 7.4 -
4. Jammu & Kashmir 7.9 6.7 +1.2
5. Madhya Pradesh 8.0 7.5 +0.5
Note: The Census 2001 data relate to Population Enumeration phase as similar data
from Houselisting phase is not available

19. Proportion of Female Headed Households
States, Total
2001 2011

20. Proportion of Female Headed Households
States, 2011, 2001 - Rural
Area (State/UT) 2011 2001* Change
RURAL AREAS (% pts)
1. Lakshadweep 29.1 33.4 -4.3
2. Goa 22.7 23.5 -0.8
TOP 5
3. Kerala 22.0 22.5 -0.5
4. Meghalaya 20.9 22.6 -1.7
5. Himachal Pradesh 18.7 18.5 +0.2
1. Chandigarh 5.1 3.6 +1.5
BOTTOM 5
2. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 5.9 6.8 -0.9
3. Rajasthan 6.5 6.7 -0.2
4. Bihar 7.2 7.3 -0.1
5. Madhya Pradesh 7.2 6.7 0.5
Note: The Census 2001 data relate to Population Enumeration phase as similar data
from Houselisting phase is not available

21. Proportion of Female Headed Households
States, 2011, 2001 - Rural
2001 2011

22. Proportion of Female Headed Households
States, 2011, 2001 - Urban
Area (State/UT) 2011 2001* Change
URBAN AREAS (% pts)
1. Lakshadweep 43.7 35.7 +8.0
2. Meghalaya 24.5 24.5 0.0
TOP 5
3. Kerala 23.4 22.8 +0.6
4. Goa 18.8 23.4 -4.6
5. Mizoram 18.5 15.1 +3.4
1. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 4.2 4.9 -0.7
BOTTOM 5
2. Rajasthan 8.6 7.8 +0.8
3. Chandigarh UT 9.0 7.6 +1.4
4. Jammu & Kashmir 9.0 7.7 +1.3
5. Bihar 9.1 8.4 +0.7
Note: The Census 2001 data relate to Population Enumeration phase as similar data
from Houselisting phase is not available

23. Reasons for emergence of Female
Headed Households *
a. The broad range of domestic situations typically characterized
by the absence of a resident male head, viz, widowhood,
divorce, separation and desertion
b. Migration of male members for long periods
c. Loss of economic function by resident males due to severe
unemployment, disability, illness and male reluctance to accept
jobs seen as status reducing, etc.
d. Households with no mature sons
e. Sons residing in independent nuclear units.
* - Source: Mayra Buvinic, Nadia H Yousaefet aI, Women-Headed Households: The Ignored Factor in Development
Planning, International Centre for Research on Women, Washington, DC, 1978. (Quoted by Lakshmi Lingam ‘Women-
Headed Households : Coping with Caste, Class and Gender Hierarchies’, Economic & Political Weekly: Mar 19, 1994

24. Census 2001 - INDIA
HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
HHs (in %)
Total Rural Urban
Type of HH
M-HH F-HH M-HH F-HH M-HH F-HH
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Single person 2.6 19.0 2.2 21.5 3.6 13.4
Nuclear 57.1 5.3 55.8 4.8 60.2 6.4
Sub nuclear 2.3 36.3 2.2 37.0 2.5 34.7
Supplemented nuclear 14.5 22.0 15.0 21.5 13.4 23.2
Broken extended 1.7 4.2 1.9 3.7 1.4 5.6
Joint 20.5 6.8 21.8 5.3 17.3 10.1
Other 1.3 6.3 1.1 6.2 1.6 6.5

25. Data on
Houses, Househo
ld Amenities &
Assets – Census
2011

26. Housing Condition – India, 2011
TYPE OF CENSUS HOUSES
Female Headed Male Headed
Type of Census Houses
HH% HH%
Permanent 60.5 62.1
Semi permanent 26.2 25.0
Temporary 12.4 12.0
Serviceable 7.6 7.2
Non serviceable 4.8 4.8
Any other 0.9 1.0

27. Housing Condition – India, 2011
TYPE OF CENSUS HOUSES
Female Headed HH%
Type of Census Houses
Total SC ST
Permanent 60.5 55.8 33.4
Semi permanent 26.2 26.9 48.1
Temporary 12.4 16.3 17.7
Serviceable 7.6 10.3 11.3
Non serviceable 4.8 6.0 6.4
Any other 0.9 1.0 0.7

28. -
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
DAMAN & DIU 0.5
LAKSHADWEEP 0.7
CHANDIGARH 1.0
GOA 1.0
HIMACHAL PRADESH 1.2
NCT OF DELHI 1.2
GUJARAT 1.8
UTTARAKHAND 2.0
PUNJAB 2.6
KERALA 2.8
HARYANA 3.7
DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 4.1
SIKKIM 4.3
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 4.3
MAHARASHTRA 5.0
KARNATAKA 6.9
JAMMU & KASHMIR 7.3
MIZORAM 7.4
CHATTISGARH 8.2
MADHYA PRADESH 9.6
MEGHALAYA 9.8
TRIPURA 10.9
RAJASTHAN 11.3
of Grass, Thatch, Bamboo, Wood, Mud, Plastic or Polythene.
JHARKHAND 12.9
NAGALAND 13.0
WEST BENGAL 14.0
MANIPUR 14.8
ANDHRA PRADESH 15.5
UTTAR PRADESH 16.8
TAMIL NADU 17.2
PUDUCHERRY 18.1
ASSAM 18.3
BIHAR 28.6
Housing Condition – India, 2011
ODISHA 34.6
Temporary Census House (FHH in %)
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 38.3
made of Grass, Thatch, Bamboo etc., Plastic, Unburnt brick or Wood and Roof can be made
Temporary: Houses with wall and roof made of temporary material. For example, Wall can be

29. Availability of Amenities–
Source of Drinking Water, India
Female Headed Male Headed
Source of Drinking Water
HH% HH%
Source:
Tap water 48.5 42.9
Well 12.6 10.8
Hand-pump 27.7 34.2
Tube well/ Bore hole 7.7 8.6
Other sources 3.6 3.5
Location:
Within premises 45.0 46.8
Near the premises 37.2 35.7
Away 17.8 17.5

30. Availability of Amenities–
Source of Drinking Water, India
Female Headed HH%
Source of drinking water
Total SC ST
Source:
Tap water 48.5 48.5 29.6
Well 12.6 8.7 19.5
Hand-pump 27.7 32.2 35.8
Tube well/ Bore hole 7.7 7.4 7.9
Other sources 3.6 3.3 7.3
Location:
Within premises 45.0 34.3 20.5
Near the premises 37.2 44.7 47.2
Away 17.8 20.9 32.3

31. Availability of Amenities –
Number of Dwelling Rooms India
Female Headed Male Headed
Number of dwelling rooms
HH% HH%
Total 100.0 100.0
No exclusive room 5.2 3.8
One room 39.3 36.8
Two rooms 29.6 31.9
Three rooms 13.7 14.6
Four rooms 7.1 7.5
Five rooms 2.5 2.6
Six rooms and above 2.6 2.8

32. Availability of Amenities –
Number of Dwelling Rooms India
Female Headed HH%
Number of dwelling rooms
Total SC ST
Total:
No exclusive room 5.2 6.2 5.2
One room 39.3 48.1 46.9
Two rooms 29.6 29.7 30.1
Three rooms 13.7 9.7 10.4
Four rooms 7.1 4.0 4.4
Five rooms 2.5 1.2 1.5
Six rooms and above 2.6 1.1 1.5

33. Number of Dwelling Rooms
(No Exclusive Room)
Scheduled
Castes
Scheduled
Tribes
TOTAL

34. Number of Dwelling Rooms
(One Room)
Scheduled
Castes
Scheduled
Tribes
TOTAL

35. -
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
INDIA – 51.7%
LAKSHADWEEP 2.4
MIZORAM 4.6
KERALA 5.5
CHANDIGARH 7.6
MANIPUR 9.6
SIKKIM 11.4
NCT OF DELHI 11.6
TRIPURA 12.6
PUNJAB 20.1
GOA 22.0
NAGALAND 22.6
HIMACHAL PRADESH 29.0
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 29.4
HARYANA 30.9
ASSAM 35.4
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 35.7
DAMAN & DIU 37.1
UTTARAKHAND 39.1
MEGHALAYA 41.4
PUDUCHERRY 42.0
WEST BENGAL 42.7
GUJARAT 43.3
MAHARASHTRA 49.3
JAMMU & KASHMIR 53.3
KARNATAKA 54.5
ANDHRA PRADESH 58.3
TAMIL NADU 60.2
RAJASTHAN 60.9
UTTAR PRADESH 62.6
DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 65.7
MADHYA PRADESH 68.7
BIHAR 76.3
CHATTISGARH 78.2
JHARKHAND 79.4
ODISHA 80.4
Availability of Amenities – INDIA
No Latrine Within Premises (HH %)
Female
HH
Headed

36. -
100.0
120.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
ODISHA 17.6
INDIA – 59.4%
CHATTISGARH 18.7
JHARKHAND 23.3
TRIPURA 32.8
BIHAR 36.9
WEST BENGAL 39.3
ASSAM 43.4
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 46.2
MADHYA PRADESH 48.2
MEGHALAYA 51.5
MANIPUR 52.1
UTTAR PRADESH 55.3
DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 55.3
TAMIL NADU 55.9
RAJASTHAN 57.6
JAMMU & KASHMIR 58.7
ANDHRA PRADESH 59.6
UTTARAKHAND 64.0
GUJARAT 67.4
SIKKIM 71.2
HIMACHAL PRADESH 75.1
PUDUCHERRY 76.3
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 78.5
HARYANA 82.0
MIZORAM 82.6
NAGALAND 82.7
MAHARASHTRA 83.9
KERALA 83.9
KARNATAKA 84.1
DAMAN & DIU 86.6
GOA 88.7
PUNJAB 89.8
NCT OF DELHI 90.4
CHANDIGARH 93.8
LAKSHADWEEP 97.3
Availability of Amenities – INDIA
Having Bathing Facility Within Premises (HH %)
Female
HH
Headed

37. Availability of Amenities – INDIA
Fuel Used For Cooking
Fuel used for cooking Female Female
(Cooking inside Headed HH Headed
premises/Has kitchen) (in ‘000) HH%
Total 15,615 100.0
Fire-wood 6,995 44.8
HEALTH Crop residue 575 3.7
ISSUES
Cow dung cake 494 3.2
Coal, Lignite, Charcoal 162 1.0
Kerosene 620 4.0
LPG/PNG 6,643 42.5
Electricity 16 0.1
Biogas 73 0.5
Any other 38 0.2

38. Household Size - INDIA
Female Male
Household Size Headed Headed
HH% HH%
Total 100.0 100.0
One member 18.3 1.9
Two members 15.4 9.0
Three members 17.0 13.2
Four members 15.2 23.6
Five members 12.8 19.5
Six to eight members 16.2 26.0
Nine or more members 5.2 6.8

39. Household Size - INDIA
Female Headed HH%
Household Size
Total SC ST
Total:
One member 18.3 18.2 18.8
Two members 15.4 15.2 16.1
Three members 17.0 16.5 17.0
Four members 15.2 15.3 15.5
Five members 12.8 12.9 12.4
Six to eight members 16.2 17.3 16.5
Nine or more members 5.2 4.6 3.6

40. Household Size
(One Person)
Scheduled
Castes
Scheduled
Tribes
TOTAL

41. -
100.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
90.00
10.00
MANIPUR 30.41
INDIA – 53.4%
NAGALAND 32.42
ODISHA 36.29
BIHAR 39.52
CHATTISGARH 40.62
TAMIL NADU 40.74
ANDHRA PRADESH 40.93
MEGHALAYA 41.03
MADHYA PRADESH 43.88
DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 44.19
ASSAM 44.78
WEST BENGAL 47.28
JHARKHAND 47.79
GUJARAT 50.25
KARNATAKA 52.94
PUDUCHERRY 54.09
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 54.20
MIZORAM 60.29
MAHARASHTRA 60.46
RAJASTHAN 61.73
HARYANA 65.73
SIKKIM 67.40
PUNJAB 68.60
KERALA 69.56
UTTAR PRADESH 70.07
(Female Headed HH in %)
DAMAN & DIU 73.02
JAMMU & KASHMIR 73.72
TRIPURA 78.90
NCT OF DELHI 80.27
LAKSHADWEEP 82.80
UTTARAKHAND 82.99
CHANDIGARH 85.91
GOA 87.26
HIMACHAL PRADESH 89.34
Availing Banking Services- INDIA
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 91.24
Female
HH
Headed

42. Possession of Assets - INDIA
Female Male Headed
Assets
Headed HH% HH%
Radio/ Transistor 16.1 20.3
Television 45.3 47.5
Computer/Laptop - With Internet 2.5 3.2
Computer/Laptop - Without
6.0 6.4
Internet
Telephone (Land line only) 4.3 4.0
Mobile phone 44.3 54.3
Bicycle 28.9 46.8
Scooter/Motorcycle/Moped 13.7 21.9
Car/ Jeep/ Van 3.2 4.8
None of the specified assets 28.7 16.5

43. Possession of Assets - INDIA
Female Headed HH%
Assets
Total SC ST
Radio/ Transistor 16.1 12.4 11.2
Television 45.3 38.7 21.8
Computer/Laptop - With Internet 2.5 1.0 0.8
Computer/Laptop - Without Internet 6.0 4.9 4.5
Telephone (Land line only) 10.3 5.2 3.6
Mobile phone 44.3 40.2 27.2
Bicycle 28.9 28.7 24.0
Scooter/Motorcycle/Moped 13.7 8.4 5.9
Car/ Jeep/ Van 3.2 1.2 1.3
None of the specified assets 28.7 33.8 48.5

44. Possession of Assets
(Television)
Scheduled
Castes
Scheduled
Tribes
TOTAL

45. Possession of Assets
(No Asset)
Scheduled
Castes
Scheduled
Tribes
TOTAL

46. Thank you …..
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