WORKING WOMEN

About:

• A recent study authored by Surbhi Ghai was published by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) based on the Labour Bureau’s employment figures.
  
  
• Key Findings:
  • There is a rise in the percentage of women out of labour force between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016 across all levels of education and age-cohorts.
    
    
  • The percentage of women (30 years and above) with graduate degrees and above who are not in the labour force has increased from 62.7% to 65.2%.
    
    
  • This has happened even though there is gender parity in attainment of education. The gross enrolment ratio shows that there are equal numbers of boys and girls at secondary level and women remain in education longer.
    
    
  
  
  
• Reasons: The research paper attributes the trend to following factors –
  • For many the incentive behind ensuring better education for their daughters is not so much the lure of a better paying job but the promise of a better marriage prospect.
    
    
  • Higher prestige or social status is associated with families which keep their women out of the workforce.
    
    
  • Growth in formal sector jobs has not kept pace with the supply of educated women, which may have led to “crowding out of females” from the workforce.
    
    
  
  
  
• Recommendations: Government policies should focus on
  • behavioural changes that make female employment more acceptable in the society and
    
    
  • communication programmes on gender equality in secondary education to help students imbibe equitable gender norms.