{"id":370213,"date":"2026-08-24T13:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T07:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=370213"},"modified":"2026-08-24T13:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T07:59:14","slug":"female-labour-force-participation-significance-challenges-explained-pointwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/female-labour-force-participation-significance-challenges-explained-pointwise\/","title":{"rendered":"Female Labour Force Participation &#8211; Significance &#038; Challenges &#8211; Explained Pointwise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-370218\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ChatGPT-Image-Aug-24-2026-01_28_29-PM.png?resize=750%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Female labour force participation \" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ChatGPT-Image-Aug-24-2026-01_28_29-PM.png?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ChatGPT-Image-Aug-24-2026-01_28_29-PM.png?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ChatGPT-Image-Aug-24-2026-01_28_29-PM.png?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ChatGPT-Image-Aug-24-2026-01_28_29-PM.png?w=1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>India&#8217;s Low Female Labour Force Participation rate is a big threat to India&#8217;s Demographic Dividend. India still has not cracked the code of getting women to work in time. Any further delay in improving the female labour force participation in productive sector, will be detrimental to India&#8217;s dream of becoming a developed nation by 2047.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%; text-align: center;\"><strong>Table of Content<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"#toc1\">What is Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR)?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc2\">What are the reasons for low Female Labour Force Participation rate in India?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc3\">What is the significance of enhancing Female Labour Force Participation?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc4\">What steps have been taken by the Government to enhance Female Labour Force Participation?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#h9\">What should be the Way Forward?<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc1\"><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What is Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR)<\/span>?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Female Labour Force Participation Rate is a ratio of the number of women\u00a0who are part of the labour force to the number of women in the working age (greater than 15 years of age).<\/li>\n<li>A woman is considered to be a part of the labour force if she is either employed or actively looking for work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>FLFPR trend in India:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>According to the PLFS 2025, the Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) is consistently increasing in India. The FLFPR has risen from 30% in 2019-20 to <strong>40%<\/strong> in 2025. The increase was more pronounced in rural areas, where the FLFPR increased from 33% to 45.9%, as compared to urban areas where it increased from 23.3% to 27.7%. However, it is still remains well below the <strong>global average (49%)<\/strong> &amp; emerging market peers like <strong>Brazil (53%)<\/strong> &amp; <strong>Vietnam (69%)<\/strong>.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_361171\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-361171\" style=\"width: 549px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-361171 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-20-161653.png?resize=549%2C473&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Female Labour Force Participation \" width=\"549\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-20-161653.png?w=549&amp;ssl=1 549w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-20-161653.png?resize=300%2C258&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-361171\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: MoSPI<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li><strong>State-wise Trend<\/strong>:\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_370217\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-370217\" style=\"width: 996px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-370217\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-24-132555.png?resize=750%2C469&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Female labour force participation \" width=\"750\" height=\"469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-24-132555.png?w=996&amp;ssl=1 996w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-24-132555.png?resize=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-24-132555.png?resize=768%2C480&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-370217\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: The Hindu<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li><strong>Glass Ceiling:<\/strong>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>While the FLFPR is rising, their presence in senior positions in various spheres is much lower.<\/li>\n<li>Female representation is low in business decision making as well. According to MoSPI&#8217;s Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises, the share of\u00a0 female-owned proprietary establishments stood at <strong>27%<\/strong> in 2025.<\/li>\n<li>According to PLFS, for every 100 males working as legislators, senior officials, and managers in 2025, there are <strong>only 13 females<\/strong> in similar high positions.<\/li>\n<li>While nearly all of India&#8217;s leading firms have a woman as a director on their boards, <strong>77%<\/strong> had only 1-2 women as directors.<\/li>\n<li>Only <strong>7%<\/strong> of BSE200 &amp; <strong>5%<\/strong> of NSE500 board chairpersons are women.<br \/>\nWithout achieving a critical mass (30% according to research), their presence at top risks being symbolic rather than substantive in India&#8217;s corporate governance landscape.<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_361172\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-361172\" style=\"width: 567px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-361172 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-20-161824.png?resize=567%2C469&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Female Labour Force Participation \" width=\"567\" height=\"469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-20-161824.png?w=567&amp;ssl=1 567w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-20-161824.png?resize=300%2C248&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 567px) 100vw, 567px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-361172\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Indian Express<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The simple average of the FLFPR of the five southern Indian states (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala) is 13% lower than the five northern states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. This defies the conventional belief that southern states, with high literacy and women empowerment indices, will have high FLFPR.<\/li>\n<li>There are <strong>only four states<\/strong> (Assam, Bihar, Haryana and Delhi) with an FLFPR of <strong>less than 25%<\/strong>. Delhi has the lowest at 14.8%.<\/li>\n<li>According to the World Bank, Indian women\u2019s participation in the formal economy is among the lowest in the world. Only some parts of the Arab world perform worse than India in terms of FLFPR.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc2\"><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What are the reasons for low Female Labour Force Participation rate in India<\/span>?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong data-start=\"464\" data-end=\"497\">Unpaid care and domestic work:<\/strong>\u00a0Women bear a disproportionate burden of childcare, household chores and eldercare, leaving limited time for paid employment. A survey cited by the Economic Survey found that about <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>55% of women<\/strong><\/span> outside paid work cited household and childcare duties as barriers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Time Poverty<\/strong>: <span class=\"citation-9\">Indian women spend an average of <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"17,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"54\"><span class=\"citation-9\">363 minutes per day<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-9\"> on unpaid domestic work, compared to just <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"17,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"116\"><span class=\"citation-9\">123 minutes<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-9 citation-end-9\"> for men.<\/span> This &#8220;time poverty&#8221; is the single largest barrier to formal employment.<\/li>\n<li><strong data-start=\"807\" data-end=\"835\">Patriarchal social norms:<\/strong>\u00a0Traditional perceptions often consider men as primary earners and women as homemakers, discouraging women&#8217;s participation in paid employment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>High Degree of Informalisation:<\/strong> According to a 2018 study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), more than 95% of India\u2019s working women are informal workers. The absence of social security net in the informal sector discourages women from participating in the labour force.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gender Pay Gap and Glass ceiling: <\/strong>According to the Economic Survey 2018, India has one of the largest gender gap in median earnings of full-time employees. Such discriminatory practices at workplace adversely affects FLFPR.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pink Jobs:<\/strong>\u00a0The societal notions about <strong>\u2018gendered occupations\u2019<\/strong> limit the role of women to specific job profiles like nursing, teaching, gynaecologist etc. There are tangible and intangible barriers to entry of women in multiple professions like heavy engineering, law enforcement, armed forces etc.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increase in Household Income (U-Shaped Curve):<\/strong> As male household incomes rise in growing economic classes, families often prioritize social status over a second income, resulting in women voluntarily exiting the workforce.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safety Concerns:<\/strong> High incidents of violence against women at workplace as well as in public places discourages women to work in the night like their male counterparts. Further, instances of sexual harassment at workplace induces women to opt out of labour force.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Educated Unemployment:<\/strong> Women are going for higher education, as seen in Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of secondary education. The lack of availability of jobs that match the high female education levels also contributes to the low FLFPR.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legally sanctioned restrictions: <\/strong>Many States continue to restrict women&#8217;s participation in hazardous jobs in factories and commercial establishments for e.g. women are not allowed to work on stone-cutting machines, shop floor of boilers, etc.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Political Vacuum:<\/strong>\u00a0The current Lok Sabha has only 14.4% women, despite women constituting around 50% of Indian population. The lack of gender perspectives inhibits formulation of a comprehensive policy that encourages women participation in economic activities.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc3\"><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What is the significance of enhancing Female Labour Force Participation<\/span>?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Economic Boost: <\/strong><span class=\"citation-58 citation-end-58\">Estimates by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggest that achieving gender parity in the workforce could boost India\u2019s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by up to 27%.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-57\">Furthermore, expanding FLFPR is vital for India to maintain a high annual GDP growth trajectory as it aims for <\/span><i data-path-to-node=\"2,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"301\"><span class=\"citation-57\">Viksit Bharat<\/span><\/i><span class=\"citation-57 citation-end-57\"> (developed nation status)<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Poverty Reduction: <\/strong>Women&#8217;s earnings improve household income diversification, reduce poverty, and would also help in breaking the intergenerational poverty cycles. It helps to tackle the phenomenon of feminisation of poverty, which is a result of highly informalised work performed by women.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improvement in Social Indicators:<\/strong> Encouraging more women to enter the formal workforce will improve indicators like Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Self Confidence and Dignity:<\/strong> Financial independence increases a woman&#8217;s agency, bargaining power within the family, and voice in critical decisions such as family planning and financial investments.<\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-14\">Demographic Dividend Utilisation:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-14 citation-end-14\"> With a young population, India needs all hands to capitalize on its demographic dividend. Excluding women undermines productivity gains and risks a demographic burden instead. With India\u2019s population growth slowing, women&#8217;s participation is vital to sustaining the labor supply required for the &#8220;Make in India&#8221; and services-led growth models.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"7,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">The &#8220;Multiplier Effect&#8221;:<\/b> Studies consistently show that women invest a larger portion of their income (up to 90%) into their children\u2019s education, nutrition, and healthcare compared to men. This helps lift families out of poverty and creates a healthier, better-educated future workforce.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Social Norms Shift<\/strong>: Rising FLFP challenges patriarchal norms, normalizes working women, and encourages policy changes like better childcare, safe transport, and workplace flexibility, creating a virtuous cycle.<\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"6,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Returns on Female Educational Attainment:<\/b> India has achieved significant parity in secondary and tertiary education enrollments. <span class=\"citation-51 citation-end-51\">Higher FLFPR ensures that public and private investments in women\u2019s education translate into direct economic output rather than underutilized talent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Fiscal &amp; Demographic Balance<\/strong>: It expands the tax base, reduces dependency ratios, and supports social security systems. It also addresses labor shortages in sectors like manufacturing and care economy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Global Commitments:<\/strong>\u00a0Improving FLFPR is related to achievements of <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">SDG 1<\/span> (No Poverty), <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">SDG 5<\/span> (Gender Equality), <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">SDG 8<\/span> (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">SDG 10<\/span> (Reduced inequalities).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc4\"><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What steps have been taken by the Government to enhance Female Labour Force Participation<\/span>?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<table style=\"height: 240px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #eef2b3;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 60px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 15.4458%; height: 60px;\"><strong>Mission Shakti<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 84.5542%; height: 60px;\"><b data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"53\"><span class=\"citation-64\">Mission Shakti<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-64 citation-end-64\"> is the flagship initiative designed to support women throughout their life cycle.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-63 citation-end-63\">It is divided into two sub-schemes:<br \/>\n1. <b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-62\">Sambal (Safety &amp; Security):<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-62\"> Includes <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"37\"><span class=\"citation-62\">One Stop Centres (OSC)<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-62\"> for legal and medical aid, the <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"91\"><span class=\"citation-62\">181 Women Helpline<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-62\">, and <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"115\"><span class=\"citation-62\">Nari Adalats<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-62 citation-end-62\"> (women&#8217;s collectives) to facilitate gender justice.<br \/>\n2. <b data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-61 citation-end-61\">Samarthya (Empowerment):<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-60 citation-end-60\"> Focuses on economic independence:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"4,1,1,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-59\">Sakhi Niwas (Working Women Hostels):<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-59 citation-end-59\"> Provides safe, affordable, and conveniently located accommodation for women moving to urban nodes for work.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"4,1,1,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-58\">Palna (Anganwadi-cum-Cr\u00e8che):<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-58 citation-end-58\"> A national cr\u00e8che scheme that provides childcare facilities in or near workplaces (including Anganwadis) to reduce the &#8220;double burden&#8221; on working mothers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 15.4458%;\"><strong>Skill Development\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 84.5542%;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): <\/strong>Nearly 45% of the candidates trained under this national skill development program are women.<\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">30% reservation for women<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> in all Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">NAVYA<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> initiative is a pilot program to equip adolescent girls with vocational training in non-traditional job roles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Swavalambini<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> program aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among female students in higher education.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP):<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> A NITI Aayog initiative that acts as a one-stop portal for women to access mentorship, funding, and networking.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 15.4458%;\"><strong> <span class=\"citation-57 citation-end-57\">Economic &amp; Entrepreneurship Incentives<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 84.5542%;\">\n<ul>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"7,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-55\">Lakhpati Didi Scheme: <\/span><\/b>Aimed at empowering 3 crore (30 million) rural women to earn an annual income of at least <b style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\" data-path-to-node=\"7,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"112\"><span class=\"citation-55\">\u20b91 Lakh<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-55 citation-end-55\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> through micro-enterprises and skill training.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\" data-path-to-node=\"7,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-54\">Drone Didi:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-54 citation-end-54\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> A specialized initiative to train 15,000 SHG women as drone pilots for agricultural purposes (pesticide spraying, crop monitoring), integrating women into high-tech rural jobs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"citation-53 citation-end-53\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"><strong>Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY):<\/strong> These schemes provide collateral-free micro-loans up to \u20b910 lakh.<\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> Notably, over <\/span><b style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\" data-path-to-node=\"7,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"90\">68%<\/b><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> of Mudra loan beneficiaries are women, helping them start or scale small businesses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Stand up India<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">: The scheme facilitates bank loans for setting up a new enterprise in manufacturing, services, agri-allied activities, or the trading sector by SC\/ST\/Women entrepreneurs. It provides bank loans between Rs10 lakh and up to Rs1 crore.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP):<\/b> <span class=\"citation-146 citation-end-146\">A NITI Aayog initiative offering incubation, mentorship, funding support, and network access for tech and non-tech women-led startups.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 15.4458%;\"><strong>Safety &amp; Dignity at Work<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 84.5542%;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 (POSH): <\/strong>The Act was enacted to protect women from sexual harassment at their place of work. The Act ensures mandatory internal complaints committees across formal workplaces to create safe work environments.<\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">SHe-Box Portal<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">: &#8216;SHe-Box&#8217; portal provides a centralized online system to file complaints related to workplace sexual harassment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 15.4458%;\"><strong>New Labour Codes\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 84.5542%;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Code on Wages (2019)<\/strong>: Equal pay for equal work; no gender discrimination in recruitment or wages.<\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) 2020:<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> Women are now legally permitted to work night shifts and in all sectors (including underground mining and heavy machinery), provided their consent is given and the employer ensures safety and transportation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Maternity Benefits:<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> The Maternity Benefit Act (amended) provides 26 weeks of paid leave and mandates cr\u00e8che facilities for establishments with 50+ employees. It proposed an option to work from home after this period, on mutual agreement with the employer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 15.4458%;\"><strong>Anganwadi centres under the ICDS<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 84.5542%;\">They provide maternal and child nutritional security, a clean and safe environment, and early childhood education. Thus, they facilitate the ability of women to re-enter work post-childbirth.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 15.4458%;\"><strong>National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 84.5542%;\">Apart from providing affordable food, it entitles pregnant and lactating mothers to a cash transfer of at least <strong>Rs 6,000<\/strong>. This is done to break the compulsion for early returning to work.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a id=\"h9\"><\/a>What should be the Way Forward?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Strengthening the &#8220;Care Economy&#8221;:<\/strong> The single largest barrier to female participation remains &#8220;time poverty&#8221; due to the disproportionate burden of unpaid domestic work. The care economy can be addressed by following:\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\n<li><strong>Child Care Subsidies:<\/strong>\u00a0Child-care subsidies should be provided to free up mothers\u2019 time to enter the labour force, which would have significant implications in increasing female employment.<\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Universal Childcare:<\/b><span class=\"citation-97\"> Scaling the <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"33\"><span class=\"citation-97\">Palna<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-97 citation-end-97\"> scheme beyond Anganwadis into urban industrial clusters and IT hubs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Elder-Care Infrastructure:<\/b> As India\u2019s demographic shifts, elder care is becoming a new domestic burden. Developing a regulated professional caregiving industry can simultaneously reduce women\u2019s domestic load and create new jobs.<\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Normalizing Paternity Leave:<\/b> Moving toward &#8220;Gender Neutral Parental Leave&#8221; to shift the societal expectation that caregiving is solely a female responsibility.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"2,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Expand National Cr\u00e8che Infrastructure:<\/b> Institutionalize public-private partnerships to scale quality child-care centers near job hubs and rural Anganwadis, reducing the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Removal of the legally sanctioned legislation:<\/strong> States should review legislations like the Factory Act, Shops and Establishment Act etc. and liberalise the restrictions on women. The best practices from well performing States can be adopted across all States for e.g. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the only two states that allow women to work in all processes in all establishments.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Creation of Self Help Groups:<\/strong>\u00a0The focus should be on creation of more Self Help Groups. They are of immense reliance and drastically enhance women participation as seen in case of <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Kudumbashree model of Kerala.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Formalizing the Gig Economy:<\/b><span class=\"citation-95\"> Leveraging the <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"44\"><span class=\"citation-95\">e-Shram<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-95 citation-end-95\"> portal (which now has over 54% female registration) to provide social security and health benefits to women in the gig and platform economy (e.g., beauty services, digital tutoring).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Safety Infrastructure:<\/strong> Implement women-centric policing and improve lighting in public spaces to reduce dependency on costly private transport (the &#8216;Pink Tax&#8217;).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Returnships:<\/strong> Create &#8220;returnship&#8221; programmes specifically for women re-entering the workforce after a career break due to caregiving.<\/li>\n<li><strong data-start=\"1271\" data-end=\"1310\">Strengthen women&#8217;s entrepreneurship:<\/strong>\u00a0Move beyond access to credit towards market linkages, technology, mentoring, business formalisation and procurement opportunities for women-led enterprises.<\/li>\n<li><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"24\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Change Social Norms:<\/strong> Challenge traditional gender roles that confine women to unpaid domestic and caregiving work. Promote shared household responsibilities, encourage women\u2019s employment through community awareness, engage men and local institutions, and create supportive social environments that recognise women\u2019s economic contribution.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Conclusion: <\/strong>There is a need to take multiple steps to augment the female labour force participation in India in order to realise the numerous social and economic benefits that accrue from greater presence of women in the workforce. It can help India move from women-centric development to women-led development.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/data\/the-rural-urban-divide-in-female-labour-force-participation\/article71381696.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hindu<\/a><br \/>\nUPSC Syllabus- GS 3 Inclusive Growth, GS 1 Women empowerment, GS 2 Vulnerable sections of the society<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; India&#8217;s Low Female Labour Force Participation rate is a big threat to India&#8217;s Demographic Dividend. India still has not cracked the code of getting women to work in time. Any further delay in improving the female labour force participation in productive sector, will be detrimental to India&#8217;s dream of becoming a developed nation by&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/female-labour-force-participation-significance-challenges-explained-pointwise\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Female Labour Force Participation &#8211; Significance &#038; Challenges &#8211; Explained Pointwise<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10391,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-370213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-pm","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10391"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370213\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}