Agriculture is a major source of livelihood for rural masses in Indian sub-continent and women are equally involved in cultivation. In North–east India, women play an important role in agricultural activities. For this study, an area under Rerapara block of South–west Garo Hills district, Meghalaya in North–east India was selected. During paddy (wet) cultivations, women were involved right from transplantation upto de-husking and winnowing. They adopted various postures that invariably led to discomforts and cardiovascular stresses. It was found that (1) average working heart rate (bpm) was 120.575 with maximum of 175, (2) average energy expenditure (kJ min−1)was 10.029 with an increase of 39.96%, (3) average cardiac cost of work was 13431beats. The heart rate increased by 20.12% during harvesting. These results are most likely due to the various awkward postures adopted by women during harvesting. Ergonomic interventions at grassroot levels are recommended for overall wellbeing of these women.