In November last year, India’s female labour force participation rate fell to its lowest points at 6.9%. While 67% of all men of working age are employed, only 9% of all women of working age are employed in the country. The longer term trends suggest that female labour force participation rates in India have been puzzling.

Women’s participation in the labor force is influenced and affected by many socio-economic factors such as how far they study, their age of marriage, urbanisation and others.

To understand more about the falling labour force participation of women in India, Kunika Balhotra, Suno India’s Research & Communication Officer reached out to Sona Mitra, Principal Economist at Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy, an initiative of LEAD at Krea University.

Additional Reading:

Women’s Voices: Employment and Entrepreneurship In India
Women’s labour force participation in India: Why is it so low?
Why is female labour force participation declining so sharply in India?