India's economic growth requires increased female workforce participation for 'Viksit Bharat' goals.
India's aspiration to become a developed nation by 2047, 'Viksit Bharat', is incomplete without significantly increasing women's work participation. Despite better education, female labor force participation (LFPR) remains below 30%, among the lowest globally, and declined steadily between 1983 and 2018. While there was a post-2020 increase, it was largely distress-driven feminization of agriculture. The editorial argues that a 10-percentage-point increase in female WPR could add nearly two percentage points to GDP growth, emphasizing that women's employment is crucial for economic growth, productivity, and human capital development, advocating for policies like those in Tamil Nadu.
Key Points
- Increased female work participation is essential for India to achieve its 'Viksit Bharat' goals and sustain high economic growth.
- India's female LFPR is critically low, below 30%, and has seen a long-term decline until 2018.
- Recent increases in female employment are largely attributed to distress-driven feminization of agriculture, not quality non-farm jobs.
- The structure of India's GDP growth, concentrated in capital-intensive sectors, has not generated sufficient female employment.
- States like Tamil Nadu demonstrate successful models for female employment through investment in education, mobility, and labor-intensive sectors.
Exam Facts
- India aspires to become a developed country (Viksit Bharat) by 2047.
- India's female LFPR remains below 30%.
- A 10-percentage-point increase in female WPR could add nearly two percentage points to GDP growth.
- Tamil Nadu accounts for over 40% of India's women factory workers.
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