Even Sherlock Holmes will not find the missing women in the Indian workforce
A World Bank report ranks India 120th among 131 nations in labour force participation.
We might be 17 years into the 21st century but the participation of Indian women in the labour force is at a paltry 27 percent.
In its 'India Development' report released yesterday, the World Bank stated that the country's female participation in the workforce is among the poorest, ranking 120th among the 131 countries for which data was available. With limited job creation, and those jobs further being grabbed by men, women have been faring very badly in the job market.
Incentives and a safe and conducive environment, besides a level playing field, were required to boost women’s participation in the Indian workforce, the report suggested.
Shocking drop in women in workforce
The most concerning part of the report is that the participation level has been dropping since 2005, despite 42 percent women in the country being graduates. Around 19.6 million women in India dropped out of the workforce between 2005 and 2012. The report highlighted that India’s GDP growth rate can go up by a percentage point if women’s participation increased.
Relatively high participation of Indian women remains primarily in the agriculture sector. The share of women in services and industry, at less than 20 percent, is even lower.
While a larger number of younger women in India are completing their education, many are dropping out of the workforce due to lack of job opportunities and others due to socio-cultural factors.
Concerns about women’s safety is a big factor while the lack of flexibility at work, poor childcare facilities, and the lack of adequate pay are further issues. Household duties are perceived as women’s primary responsibility and further compound the issue.
Another reason is that though women want to work, there are not enough jobs being created. India created only 0.9 percent jobs required for the Indian adult population between 2005 and 2012.
In comparison with other countries, Indian women’s workforce participation is closer to Pakistan (24.6 percent) and the Arab world (23.3 percent) while neighbouring Nepal (79.9 percent) and China (63.9 percent) are leagues ahead.
According to the report, women entrepreneurs typically create more jobs for women, but in India, the number of women entrepreneurs is still quite low.
“This is a cause for concern since higher labour earnings are the primary driver of poverty reduction,” Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director said.
Apart from better education opportunities, skill development, and legal provisions, India needs to create jobs for women that provide higher wages along with social support in the form of playschools and crèches for children.