There has never been a shortage of women in India, as they form almost half of the population, but sadly enough, there appear to be insufficient women at work. Stereotypes have crippled them, despite women being praised for their ability to multitask and overcome challenges.
Women Are Natural Multitaskers
University of Hertfordshire
They collected 100 students—50 males and 50 females—and assigned them to do three different things simultaneously in eight minutes. The same sets of tasks were provided for all, such as solving simple arithmetics, finding restaurants on a map, and developing an approach to locate an imaginary lost key in an imaginary field.
The women had not much trouble with the task. As a matter of fact, 70 percent of them performed better than their average counterparts among males.
Also found that women do perform better than men in the performance of the planned and problem-solving tasks and even during the task-switching situations.
Workforce Participation Statistics
World Bank Data (2023 Report)
The labour force participation among females in India was found from the World Bank Data (2023) to be at 32.7 percent, while that of males was found to have increased to 76.8 percent for the year 2023.
Globally, female labor force participation averages over 50%, but in India, socio-economic and cultural factors reduce opportunities for women, especially in urban and middle-income groups.
Female labour participation declining in India: Why are women not working?
Data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that there is an employability gap based on gender in India equal to 50.9%, with only 19.2% of women being in the labour force as opposed to 70.1% of men.
Women want to be in paid employment, but a persistent set of socio-economic barriers keeps them out. Identification and quantification of these barriers inform smarter policy responses for eliminating them.
The ultimate closing of gender gaps in the labour force would not be for women and their households alone but also for the global economy as a whole.
Why Aren’t Indian Women Working?
Housewife Burden and Social Norms
The average time spent by Indian women on unpaid household chores is 299 minutes per day compared to 97 minutes spent by the men (NSSO, 2019).
Their first priority is always their roles as caregivers, leaving less time for full-time jobs. Inflexible work options, non-secure areas, and a lack of childcare provision therefore limit their participation in employment sources, with a female labor force participation rate of only 32.7% (World Bank, 2023)
Why Women in the Workforce Matter
Economic Growth: The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that narrowing the gender gap in workforce participation will add an estimated $700 billion to India’s GDP by 2025.
Very nice and inspiring