Women's Day Special Report: Increasing women's participation in the workforce is necessary for developed India

In order to make India a developed nation by 2047, women's workforce participation has to be increased. 70% workforce participation for women in 2047 is important, said Union Labor Secretary Sumita Dawra. There are certain sectors in the future where there is a big scope for women's involvement. Dawra has also suggested making education simple and all-inclusive for women in National Education Policy.

Union Secretary for Labor Sumita Dawra said venture capital assistance is extremely important for women entrepreneurs. Women should be mentored for leadership and decision-making roles, and women should be mentored where necessary.

Referring to the challenges faced by women in the services sector, Dawra said there may be prejudices that prevent them from entering the workforce. There may also be pay disparities in leadership roles, job security concerns, and issues such as balancing domestic and professional responsibilities. Data shows that about 45% of women cite child care and domestic commitments as reasons for not participating in the workforce, but women's participation in economic activities has increased in the last six years.

There is a growing trend of educated women joining the workforce and their income is also increasing steadily despite some challenges regarding pay inequality. Today we are also seeing women excelling in the services sector, technology, finance and manufacturing. Data shows that the worker-population ratio (WPR) for women has doubled in the last six years.

The labor force population ratio for women aged 15 years and above increased from 22% in 2017-18 to 40.3% in 2023-24. The labor force participation rate (LFPR) for women has also increased during this period. The labor force participation rate for women has increased from 23% to about 42%. This is a remarkable change in the economic scenario. Also, more self-employed women are joining the workforce. Data shows that 40% of the total women educated at postgraduate level and above were working in 2023-24, while this figure was about 35% six years ago.