More Women Are Getting Educated But Their Participation in Workforce is Declining! Why?

By Ruchi Sharma

Over the last few years there has been a significant increase in women attaining education in India with the figures nearly the same as their men counterparts, as per World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022. While this figure brings a smile on our face, the next figure just wipes it away.

The Indian economy has quadrupled over the last few years but a shocking figure revealed that as compared to 32% in 2005, the female labour participation rate (working women in India) fell to just 19% in 2021 as per World Bank data. It’s true that the labour participation rates do not include the unorganised sector of the economy but even then when we compare it with labour force participation rates of males, it is extremely less. The work culture is shifting to a hybrid culture of working, with remote working also becoming the new normal. This has impacted the women who were most affected by the burden of unpaid work. But still the figures are saying something else.

Our younger generation fondly called GenZ is all about being financially independent, well educated, digital savvy and of course very career oriented. As per Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, and a millennial, “Two good things have happened recently. The younger women are a lot more aspirational, and now there is the advantage of a flexible work system or work-from-home”. But this sharp fall in female labour participation rates is showing a different story at the macro level. It is almost unbelievable especially when we have been hearing all about gender diversity from everywhere. Big brands like Britannia, Accenture etc. are working towards ensuring gender diversity and achieving this goal within the next few years. But this effort needs to be scaled up at all levels as just 19% female workforce participation rate is a data that is worrying for the nation.

Prasenjit Bhattacharya (Founder Director of Great Place to Work in India) remarked “When I started my career in 1991, for every two men who were educated, we had one woman who was educated. The percentage of women in the workforce was about 30 per cent and we thought that it was only a matter of time before it would become 50 per cent. But we know the results don’t justify that optimism today”. That is so true. Without equal participation of women in the workforce, it’s impossible for the nation to ensure overall development.

Any economy develops when all sections of the economy grow together, without equal participation of women in the workforce, it’s impossible for our country to meet its development goals. Not only the companies but all parties involved need to spruce up their efforts and entrepreneurship can play a key role in improving this figure. We hope to see everyone’s efforts pay off and this figure rising soon.

Information Source: Business Today