• The latest Report of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2021-22 is evident of increased Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in India. 
• Though it is lower than the male, female LFPR is significantly increasing over the years and at present, around one third of women have joined the labour force. 
• As per the latest PLFS report, around 32.8% females of working age (15 years and above) were in the labour force in 2021-22 which was just 23.3% in 2017-18.
• The major push came from the rural sector than the urban sector, where it increased by 12.0 and 3.4 percentage points, respectively. 
• In rural areas, female LFPR is at 36.6% during 2021-22 and in urban areas it was 23.8% in the same period.
• These numbers are significantly lower and there is a need to increase women participation in the labour force to accelerate India’s development.

Measures needed to increase Female LFPR:

• • Expanding Manufacturing Opportunities: Bringing labour-intensive sectors like readymade garments, footwear, and light manufacturing under schemes like the Production Linked Investment (PLI) can create more job opportunities for women.
    • Address cost disadvantages and regulatory hurdles that hinder job creation in these sectors, particularly focusing on providing incentives for women’s employment.

• Enhancing Skilling and Formal Employment: Implementing targeted initiatives to improve access to relevant and affordable skilling programs for women, especially in sectors with high potential for formal employment can help.

• • • Increase the number of training institutes catering exclusively to women and provide financial support such as scholarships and subsidised loans to encourage their participation.
    • Establish career counselling and job placement cells in training institutes to facilitate better employment outcomes for women post-training.

• Improving Urban Infrastructure and Mobility: Develop urban infrastructure and transportation systems with a gender lens to enhance women’s mobility and access to education and employment opportunities.

• • • Create high-quality, subsidised urban care infrastructure to reduce women’s caregiving responsibilities and enable their participation in the labour force.

• Promoting Clean Energy Adoption:

• • • Incentivize households to adopt clean cooking technologies through initiatives like cash rebates and production incentives, reducing women’s time spent on domestic chores.
    • Scale up programs like the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) to facilitate the transition to cleaner cooking fuels and improve women’s health and productivity.

• Investing in Women’s Education:

• • • Enhance investments in women’s education to improve their human capital and enable them to access higher-quality employment opportunities.
    • Implement policies to ensure equal access to education for women, including addressing barriers such as distance to schools and cultural norms.

• Addressing Gender Stereotypes and Norms:

• • Launch awareness campaigns to challenge gender stereotypes and promote the value of women’s participation in the labour force.
  • Encourage the involvement of men and community leaders in advocating for women’s rights and equal opportunities in the workforce.

As history has shown, women are empowered when they step out of their homes with quality skand enter market work only when their education levels rise and “good” jobs appear. Improving the value of investments in women’s human capital, and at a low cost, is our best bet for engendering gender parity and creating a “developed” society.