Trend and Pattern of Women’s Work in India, 1983–2024

Alakh N. Sharma () and Balwant Singh Mehta ()
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Alakh N. Sharma: Institute for Human Development (IHD)
Balwant Singh Mehta: Institute for Human Development (IHD)

Chapter 9 in Women and Work in India: Challenges, Opportunities and Perspectives for Policy, 2026, pp 179-208 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract India’s women’s labour force participation rate has experienced substantial shifts over the past four decades. It fell from 44.8% in 1983 to 23.3% in 2018, then rose sharply to 41.7% in 2024, with women accounting for almost 70% of new entrants during this period. The recent rise is concentrated in rural areas, mainly in self-employment and unpaid family work in agriculture, where job quality remains poor. Men earn more than women across all employment categories, especially in self-employment and casual work. Occupational segregation also limits women to lower-skilled and lower-paid roles, while they remain underrepresented in higher-skilled and better-paid jobs. Educated young women continue to face high unemployment because of skill mismatch and limited availability of quality and aspirational jobs. The NEET rate for young women also remains high, reflecting poverty, restrictive social norms and inadequate access to decent work opportunities. Participation has increased, but persistent inequalities and poor job quality continue to constrain women’s economic prospects.

Keywords: Female labour force participation; Gender wage gap; Women’s employment; Occupational segregation; Gender inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-95-6103-2_9

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