India’s female workforce participation stands at 24%; motherhood, gender inequality in household work to blame
6 years, 5 months ago

India’s female workforce participation stands at 24%; motherhood, gender inequality in household work to blame

Firstpost  

With motherhood, the chances of women remaining in paid employment do go down. “While there are few entry points for women, the exit gates are many – pregnancy, child care, elderly care, lack of family support, and unsupportive work environment,” said an April 2018 study, Predicament of Returning Mothers, conducted jointly by Ashoka University and the Genpact Centre for Women’s Leadership. It is unpaid care work that constitutes the “main barrier to women’s participation in labour markets”, noted the report. “You cannot address women’s workforce participation without first addressing the amount of unpaid care work they are required to do,” said Afridi. Quoting IBM chairman, president and CEO, Virginia M Rometty, Wilson said: “IBM thinks about diversity the way we think about innovation – both are essential to the success of our business…When we incorporate diversity into our business, we create better innovations and outcomes.” IBM has several programmes designed specifically for returning mothers – from providing an additional six-months’ unpaid leave post the mandatory six-month maternity leave to providing online learning courses and trainings so that employees, particularly women on long leave, don’t become redundant, said Wilson.

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History of this topic

Women’s Earnings in India Show Sharp Decline
1 month ago

Women’s Earnings in India Show Sharp Decline

Deccan Chronicle  

Chennai: Notwithstanding the GDP growth numbers, the employment levels and earnings of women in India remain pathetic. The average gross earnings of self-employed women has declined 9 per cent in the past seven years, whereas the average earnings of regular wage earning or salaried women has just gone up by 29 per cent. Average monthly gross earnings of women engaged …

Economic imperative of women’s leadership in India’s private sector
1 month, 1 week ago

Economic imperative of women’s leadership in India’s private sector

Hindustan Times  

This decade is widely regarded as India’s, with the country poised to realise its vision of becoming a global economic powerhouse. Central to this transformation is India’s private sector, which plays a pivotal role in driving growth, innovation, and competitiveness, setting the stage for a robust and sustainable economic future. Building a pipeline of women to reach leadership roles can …

Significant rise in women workforce participation: Minister Karandlaje
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Significant rise in women workforce participation: Minister Karandlaje

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The participation of women in the country's workforce has seen a significant increase over the past six years, Shobha Karandlaje, Union minister of state for labour & employment, said on Thursday. Responding to a question from Rajya Sabha member of parliament Sagarika Ghose on women employment, Karandlaje told the upper house that the worker population ratio, or the …

Women are twice as likely as men to be unavailable for paid work
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Women are twice as likely as men to be unavailable for paid work

NL Times  

A recent report by the Netherlands' Emancipation Monitor 2024 reveals that twice as many women as men are not actively seeking or available for work. In 2023, 17 percent of women between 15 and 65 who were not in school were neither employed nor available for work, compared to 8 percent of men. Women with partners were nearly four times …

Economic Value of Unpaid Household Work in India: A Comprehensive Analysis
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Economic Value of Unpaid Household Work in India: A Comprehensive Analysis

The Hindu  

The article explores the economic value of unpaid household activities in India through the lens of unpaid care work and parenting. Using data from the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey (CPHS), the authors estimate that unpaid household work contributes approximately ₹22.7 lakh crore to India's GDP, highlighting the significant role of women in the economy. The study advocates for policy reforms …

67.5% districts empowered women in decision-making, mobility: IIM-A study
3 months, 3 weeks ago

67.5% districts empowered women in decision-making, mobility: IIM-A study

Hindustan Times  

The decision-making power and asset ownership of women have seen a significant rise in India, according to a new study. The report said that women respondent in just 32.25% of districts felt they were able to achieve work-life balance, highlighting ongoing challenges with unpaid domestic work. {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} The study titled “Women’s Empowerment at the Subnational Level: Towards …

Liberating Women: CJI DY Chandrachud says, 'breaking patriarchal barriers leads to achievement & innovation'
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Liberating Women: CJI DY Chandrachud says, 'breaking patriarchal barriers leads to achievement & innovation'

Firstpost  

Delivering a keynote address at CNN News18 SheShakti 2024, CJI DY Chandrachud said that talking about women’s rights is ’not a woman’s thing, but it’s about all of us to engage in serious conversation' “Once you liberate women from the network of patriarchal social attitudes and provide to them a level playing field on the basis of equality of opportunity, …

Women in Corporate Jobs Love Challenging Projects But Face Challenges After Maternity Leave: Aon
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Women in Corporate Jobs Love Challenging Projects But Face Challenges After Maternity Leave: Aon

Deccan Chronicle  

Mumbai: According to a survey by Aon India 90 per cent of women in corporate jobs in India were prepared to put in extra time, volunteer for challenging projects and upskill themselves to grow in their careers. However, 42 per cent of the women surveyed mentioned facing bias or potential bias at work and 37 per cent revealed they’ve experienced …

More Than a Social Issue: Why Women’s Empowerment is an Economic Imperative
5 months, 2 weeks ago

More Than a Social Issue: Why Women’s Empowerment is an Economic Imperative

News 18  

“Empowering women isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do.” – Barack Obama India stands at a critical juncture in its pursuit of inclusive economic growth, where the interplay of health, gender equality, and economic policies is more significant than ever. The recently tabled Economic Survey 2024 and the Union Budget have brought to …

Formalising care work can pay gender justice dividends
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Formalising care work can pay gender justice dividends

Hindustan Times  

New data paints a sobering picture of progress towards gender equality. India’s overall position in the WEF’s 2024 Global Gender Gap ranking — despite policies such as the Women’s Reservation Act — dropped by two spots from the rankings’ previous edition, to 129th out of 146 countries. Women in paid employment take on around six times more unpaid care work …

Hand rocking the cradle can change India
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Hand rocking the cradle can change India

New Indian Express  

There was a recent report that a multinational firm in Chennai had taken a policy decision against recruiting married women. With constitutional guarantees of equality in education and employment, women in India have achieved success in educational and professional fields and broken the glass ceiling when provided with opportunities. However, a large proportion of women do encounter subtle biases when …

World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2024: 134 Years to Parity, India Ranks 129th
6 months, 3 weeks ago

World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2024: 134 Years to Parity, India Ranks 129th

The Hindu  

Published : Jun 22, 2024 14:00 IST - 6 MINS READ The Global Gender Gap Report 2024, released by the World Economic Forum, presents a dire picture of the current state and evolution of gender parity across four indices: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. In its assessment of the four indices, the Global …

Reshaping gender roles in India: Improving women’s economic outcomes
7 months ago

Reshaping gender roles in India: Improving women’s economic outcomes

Hindustan Times  

Women with children all across the globe face the daunting task of balancing career growth with caregiving responsibilities, which often leads to career stagnation and perpetuates several gender gaps in accessing decent jobs. Across G20 countries, without exception, women on average perform the majority of the daily time spent on unpaid care work, ranging from 90.5% in India to 60.2 …

Lifting the burden keeping Indian women from work
8 months, 1 week ago

Lifting the burden keeping Indian women from work

New Indian Express  

Women’s work participation across the world has been low and its recovery from the post-pandemic period has been slow. The International Labour Organization’s World Employment and Social Outlook Report for 2023 reflects on this persistent gender gap and pegs women’s participation in the labour market at 47.4 percent, as compared to men’s at 72.3 percent. Apart from the ILO's highlight …

From women’s unpaid labour to ASHA wages, how are parties addressing the care work economy? | Explained
8 months, 2 weeks ago

From women’s unpaid labour to ASHA wages, how are parties addressing the care work economy? | Explained

The Hindu  

A rare sight was witnessed at an Amaravati rally— an Indian politician speaking about women’s unpaid labour at home and the cycle of caregiving. About unpaid labour of homemakers Research conducted by economists Ashwini Deshpande and Naila Kabeer in 2019 showed domestic and care work lowered the probability of paid work for women. Congress vows to “protect the rights and …

Rahul Gandhi talks about women’s unpaid domestic labour; netizens applaud: ‘Indian male politician has…’
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Rahul Gandhi talks about women’s unpaid domestic labour; netizens applaud: ‘Indian male politician has…’

Live Mint  

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has garnered netizens' attention, this time for all the right reasons. Magar har mahila, issh desh ki har mahila, 8 ghante ghar k bahar job karti hain aur, phir 8 ghante ghar mein job karti hain.” Rahul Gandhi is heard saying. Magar, 8 ghante ka aapko paisa milta hain; magar ghar mein …

Falling percentages, failing work conditions: A deeper look into women’s employment in India
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Falling percentages, failing work conditions: A deeper look into women’s employment in India

The Hindu  

It’s no secret that the number of women in the labour market is significantly lesser than that of men, but did you know that in India, when it comes to rural women in labour force, the number is not just low, but has been almost steadily declining over the years? And for rural women, it’s been steadily declining over time,” …

Employment scenario in India grim, says ILO report
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Employment scenario in India grim, says ILO report

The Hindu  

India’s youth account for almost 83% of the unemployed workforce and the share of youngsters with secondary or higher education in the total unemployed youth has almost doubled from 35.2% in 2000 to 65.7% in 2022, as per the India Employment Report 2024 released by the International Labour Organisation and the Institute of Human Development here on Tuesday. Paradoxical improvements …

Despite Significant Jump in Female Literacy Rate, Participation of Women with Advanced Degrees in Workforce Low
10 months ago

Despite Significant Jump in Female Literacy Rate, Participation of Women with Advanced Degrees in Workforce Low

News 18  

The celebration of International Women’s Day marks the achievement of women’s empowerment, although, despite the significant increase in the female literacy rate, the number of working women with higher advanced degrees in the country has not gone up much. However, the National Sample Survey Office reports that only 2.9 per cent of the total employed people aged 25 years and …

The burden of women in construction
10 months, 1 week ago

The burden of women in construction

The Hindu  

March 08, 2024 01:14 am | Updated 12:00 pm IST Low female labour force participation remains a pressing concern in India. Analysing quantitative data from the TUS alongside qualitative primary data helps us scrutinise and understand not just how much time women spend on paid work but also the nature of their work in particular sectors. According to TUS data, …

The determinant in more women in the job market
10 months, 1 week ago

The determinant in more women in the job market

The Hindu  

There is growing demand from social scientists, governments and international organisations, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, that women’s participation in the economy/labour market should increase to promote economic growth of India. Consequently, they overcrowd in stereotyped low productivity jobs and lag behind men in all average labour market outcomes such as participation, wages, and diversification …

India starts survey to assess women participation in workforce
11 months, 2 weeks ago

India starts survey to assess women participation in workforce

The Hindu  

The Union Ministries of Labour & Employment and Women & Child Development have started a joint survey on increasing women participation in the workforce. The survey was announced by Union Minister Smriti Irani in New Delhi at a function “Women in the Workforce for Viksit Bharat” on Tuesday. Latest PLFS data The latest results of the Periodic Labour Force Survey, …

Women are losing out to men in India’s jobless growth
1 year, 1 month ago

Women are losing out to men in India’s jobless growth

Live Mint  

The share of women in regular salaried jobs in urban India dropped from 54% in the first quarter to 52.8% in the second quarter, according to quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey data, Business Standard reported. Since salaried workers receive regular wages, that type of work is preferred to casual work or self-employment, which also includes working as unpaid household help …

How women's participation in business influences the economy | Explained
1 year, 1 month ago

How women's participation in business influences the economy | Explained

India Today  

Women around the world play a pivotal role in maintaining the stability and prosperity of their families. However, when it comes to entrepreneurship, business endeavours have, for years, been associated with men, thereby limiting women's opportunities to showcase their abilities. Nishtha Yogesh, Founder and CEO, Hunar online course, has shared how, despite facing numerous challenges, such as poor access to …

The big threat to India’s demographic dividend
1 year, 1 month ago

The big threat to India’s demographic dividend

Live Mint  

Bengaluru: In a short press release, dated 13 October, the Ministry of Women and Child Development announced that the Female Labour Force Participation Rate for 2022-23 had improved significantly over the previous year by 4.2 percentage points to 37%. Non-obvious insights View Full Image One of the most under-reported trends is that agriculture, which is the least productive undertaking, is …

The measure of the working woman
1 year, 2 months ago

The measure of the working woman

The Hindu  

October 19, 2023 01:20 am | Updated 09:30 am IST It is a truth universally acknowledged that a parent working outside the home must have someone to take care of their child. There are two specific ways to get here: women’s work, often care work, must be appropriately valued, and women must be adequately supported to participate in economic activity …

Burden of care work: Gender's impact on the wage gap
1 year, 2 months ago

Burden of care work: Gender's impact on the wage gap

Hindustan Times  

In 1989, Claudia Goldin became the first woman to be given tenure in the economics department at Harvard University. According to the International Labor Organization, unpaid care work is estimated to be one of the major barriers to women’s entry into the labour force. In India, conversations about recognising unpaid care work have been in the public sphere for many …

Closing the gender pay gap in the workforce
1 year, 2 months ago

Closing the gender pay gap in the workforce

The Hindu  

When women were missing from the labour force, that was because they were home caring for children; when they were paid less than men, that was because they had lower education than men. A name and a voice When Betty Friedan wrote in 1963 about college-educated women who were frustrated stay-at-home mothers, she noted that their problem has “no name.” …

Closing the gender pay gap: Strategies for equality in the workplace
1 year, 4 months ago

Closing the gender pay gap: Strategies for equality in the workplace

Hindustan Times  

The gender pay parity discussion has been at the centre stage for decades. Some of the oft-articulated reasons include the discrimination women face throughout their employee life cycle; the tendency of women to concentrate on lower-paying occupations like administration; the likelihood of women taking more frequent career breaks due to family responsibilities; and limitations around irregular work hours and flexibility …

A silent burden | Who cares for women living with diabetes?
1 year, 4 months ago

A silent burden | Who cares for women living with diabetes?

The Hindu  

Let’s say the average human takes X decisions on a given day. ‘Women put their needs last’ “For a caregiver to receive care, that’s an alien concept in the Indian household,” says Nupur Lalvani, a type 1 diabetic and founder of the support group Blue Circles Diabetes Foundation. Suradha, a type 1 diabetic, uses a glucose monitoring system, and finds …

DC Edit | Women's employment a steep challenge
1 year, 4 months ago

DC Edit | Women's employment a steep challenge

Deccan Chronicle  

India is the most populous nation on earth and more than half of its people, 52 per cent to be precise, are aged below 30. Given that India’s sex ratio is almost evenly poised, about 35 crore women, a number almost equal to the whole population of the United States, belong to this group. Pit this against the current data …

‘Women short-changed as 65% of weekly working hours ignored in official data’
1 year, 5 months ago

‘Women short-changed as 65% of weekly working hours ignored in official data’

The Independent  

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about …

Gender wage gap in Tamil Nadu: Women paid less than men for same work
1 year, 5 months ago

Gender wage gap in Tamil Nadu: Women paid less than men for same work

The Hindu  

Women’s participation in the economy offers a paradoxical picture in Tamil Nadu. Despite having a low share and a decline by its own standards, the participation of Tamil Nadu’s women in the labour market has been consistently higher than both the national average and that of other developed States. As per the NSSO-PLFS data for 2020-21, Tamil Nadu women’s participation …

Women domestic workers of Bengaluru demand fair wages and social security
1 year, 5 months ago

Women domestic workers of Bengaluru demand fair wages and social security

The Hindu  

Chenamma, who once worked as a domestic worker, is struggling to find work. Organised by the Domestic Workers Rights Union and spearheaded by activist Geeta Menon, the event sought to address hardships faced by these workers in the city, including poor working conditions and denial of wages. Venkatesh, social-political activist Akkai Padmashali, environmental activist and ex-MLA Sowmya Reddy, retired IAS …

Are women paying the price as work shifts back to office space?
1 year, 6 months ago

Are women paying the price as work shifts back to office space?

The Hindu  

In May this year, Susheela Pavate, 41, quit her high-paying tech job after a disagreement with her line manager about mandatorily reporting to the office four days a week. “After three years of working from home, I found the switch tough, along with the long commute to work,” says the mother of two. “There might be other reasons, but intuitively, …

Bridging the gap: On India and Gender Gap Report
1 year, 6 months ago

Bridging the gap: On India and Gender Gap Report

The Hindu  

June 24, 2023 12:10 am | Updated 11:05 am IST India has climbed eight places in the annual Gender Gap Report, 2023, and is ranked 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity, from 135 last year. On the four key markers of the index – economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment …

A call to action: How Indian men can support working women’s progress
1 year, 9 months ago

A call to action: How Indian men can support working women’s progress

Live Mint  

In a standard economic model, agents maximize utility across goods, services and leisure. My analysis reveals that working women spend significantly less time on leisurely activities than working men and also compared to women who do not spend any time on employment-related activities. The TUS was a national representative sample that measured, in 30-minute intervals from 4am onwards, the time …

As India’s population soars above all other nations, fewer women have jobs
1 year, 9 months ago

As India’s population soars above all other nations, fewer women have jobs

LA Times  

Sheela Singh cried the day she handed in her resignation. The women’s employment rate peaked at 35% in 2004 and fell to about 25% in 2022, according to calculations based on official data, said Rosa Abraham, an economist at Azim Premji University. A national jobs crisis is one reason for the gap, experts say, but entrenched cultural beliefs that see …

As India’s population soars above all, fewer women have jobs
1 year, 9 months ago

As India’s population soars above all, fewer women have jobs

Associated Press  

MUMBAI, India — Sheela Singh cried the day she handed in her resignation. It’s not only a problem for women like Singh, but a growing challenge for India’s own economic ambitions if its estimated 670 million women are left behind as its population expands. ___ The women’s employment rate peaked at 35% in 2004 and fell to around 25% in …

Analysis | As India's population booms, where are its working women?
1 year, 9 months ago

Analysis | As India's population booms, where are its working women?

The Hindu  

Pinky Negi, an Indian teacher with two master's degrees, loved her old job at a public school in the Himalayan foothills. Less than a third of Indian women are working or actively seeking work, data shows, despite progress such as better educational attainment, improved health, falling fertility rates and more women-friendly labour policies. Policy changes that could rectify these problems …

Women’s work is not valued properly: Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh
1 year, 10 months ago

Women’s work is not valued properly: Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh

The Hindu  

In her 2022 book, The Making of a Catastrophe, on the disastrous economic fallout of COVID-19, Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh writes that job losses and food insecurity were significantly higher for women. India is among one of the few countries that did not even achieve the MDGs for maternal health, and since then the pandemic has dramatically worsened the …

Gender gap at work far worse than expected: United Nations
1 year, 10 months ago

Gender gap at work far worse than expected: United Nations

The Hindu  

Women have a harder time accessing work globally than previously thought, while the gender gap in working conditions and pay has barely budged in two decades, the United Nations said on March 6. The UN's International Labour Organisation said it had developed a new indicator that does a better job than official unemployment rates at capturing all people without employment …

Why women get fewer jobs and earn lesser wages than men in India
1 year, 10 months ago

Why women get fewer jobs and earn lesser wages than men in India

The Hindu  

Published : Feb 27, 2023 12:39 IST Following the announcement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in October last year of equal pay for all men and women Team India cricketers, the highest bid received by a cricketer in the inaugural Women’s Premier League is being celebrated as a watershed moment, not just in India but globally. …

Addressing gender inequalities: India needs bold steps
1 year, 11 months ago

Addressing gender inequalities: India needs bold steps

Hindustan Times  

India, which assumed presidency of G20 this year, has stated that it will prioritise inclusive growth and development, with women empowerment and representation at the forefront of its G20 discussions. This indeed is a desirable objective, given the large gender inequalities that exist in several G20 member countries, especially in India, which also gets reflected in its overall human development …

Women spend 7.2 hrs on unpaid domestic work compared to 2.8 hrs spent by men: Study
1 year, 11 months ago

Women spend 7.2 hrs on unpaid domestic work compared to 2.8 hrs spent by men: Study

Deccan Chronicle  

Ahmedabad: Women in the working age category of 15 to 60 years spend 7.2 hours on unpaid domestic work compared to 2.8 hours spent by men, indicating they have “time poverty", as per a research conducted by a professor from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Even wage-earning women spend twice the amount of time on unpaid domestic work in …

Measuring women’s work participation: why it is important to get it right
1 year, 11 months ago

Measuring women’s work participation: why it is important to get it right

The Hindu  

February 11, 2023 12:44 pm | Updated 09:38 pm IST The 2022-23 Economic Survey should be credited for acknowledging that official statistics may have inadequately captured the true nature of women’s work in India. The Economic Survey has listed three sources of measurement error: using very broad categories that club productive economic activity with domestic unpaid work ; asking single-shot …

At 56.62%, Participation of Women in Formal Work Under NREGS Highest in a Decade: Govt to Lok Sabha
1 year, 11 months ago

At 56.62%, Participation of Women in Formal Work Under NREGS Highest in a Decade: Govt to Lok Sabha

News 18  

The financial year of 2022-23 saw the highest rate of participation in a decade — 56.62% — by women in the formal workforce in rural areas under the Centre’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Data also shows that in 2022-23, in states such as Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, the number of women in the …

What women need to participate in the changing world of work
1 year, 11 months ago

What women need to participate in the changing world of work

Hindustan Times  

The world of work is changing rapidly - technology, innovation, the climate crisis, and demographic shifts are some of the important drivers for the future of work. Thus, providing universal social protection, upskilling women, supporting their shift from informal to formal work and promoting entrepreneurship are essential to reduce their vulnerability and ensure decent working conditions. Tech-enabled emerging sectors that …

Women workers in informal sector earn 30-40 pc less than their male counterparts: Report
2 years ago

Women workers in informal sector earn 30-40 pc less than their male counterparts: Report

India TV News  

According to a report that highlights gender inequality in the informal sector, women workers in the Indian construction and real estate sector earn 30-40 per cent less than their male counterparts Consulting firm Primus Partners and World Trade Center on Monday released a report 'Pink Collar Skilling: Unleashing the Women's Power in the Real Estate Sector' highlighted several concerning points …

Many Can Learn from India's Health Systems; Put Women in Positions of Power: Melinda Gates to News18 - News18
2 years, 1 month ago

Many Can Learn from India's Health Systems; Put Women in Positions of Power: Melinda Gates to News18 - News18

News 18  

Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is on a visit to India. In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18 on Tuesday, she spoke at length about India’s Covid vaccination model, its digital strides, hosting G20, putting women in positions of power, and areas that need improvement. All talked about how people around them see them differently …

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