Women Labour Force Participation in India – An Overview

The substantial loss of economic opportunity due to the sheer wastage of human resources not just on a national level, but also at a global scale while India has made great strides in improving its ranking in other key growth metrics, the declining participation of Indian women in the workforce continues to be a red mark in the country’s otherwise laudable economic reform report card. Theories of human capital would suggest that with more education, women acquire greater skills and their earnings increase, resulting in higher labour force participation. Women’s participation in the labour market varies significantly across countries, reflecting differences in economic development, social norms, education levels, fertility rates, and access to childcare and other supportive services. The relationship between female labour force participation and these factors is complex. India has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates in the world. At present India has only about 27 per cent women in the workforce and we have to take it to the world average of 48 per cent. The Economic Survey of India pointed out that the gender gap in the Indian labour force participation of 2018 is more than 50 % points. The present paper attempts to describe the female work force participation rates in India. It also attempts to identify the potential causes of declining female labour force participation and Governmental policies relating to participation of women in the labour force in India. And also suggest possible measures to improve female labour force participation