Women Employment Crisis

Since 1947, the year India gained independence; the Indian economy has undergone monumental changes. The British left us in miserable poverty; religion based social issues, and argumentative national boundaries which later lead to wars with Pakistan and China. But with terrific strength and unity along with Green Revolution, IT Revolution, trade liberalization, etc. Indian economy withstood all these blows. The boost in the nation’s GDP has proved to be profitable for the most, but this profit is not shared equally by all the groups. Women are one such group, who has not been able to enjoy the perks and profits of the various economic reforms that our country has been through at par with men.

The world had been treating the female as the second gender for too long and India is no different. Albeit the waves of Feminist movement in the different parts of the world, particularly the west has done a great deal of work to reduce this gender inequality India as a independent and developing democratic nation, where 48.5% of the population is female still has a long road to go to match up to the gender equality prevalent in other countries. And women employment can prove to be a spot-on treatment for achieving the same. But when women employment enters the picture, the first question that pops in the mind is “Why so few among so many”?

Despite the fact that female literacy and enrollment of girls in educational institutes have been rising, India ranks 127^th on the gender inequality and 108^th on the global gender gap index which brings out the shortcomings in the efforts to accomplishing gender equality; concealed by depthless, ineffective government policies and our individual efforts. Latest government statistics suggest that women’s labor participation rate fell from 29.4 percent in 2004-2005 to 22.5 percent in 2011-2012. The gender gap in the labor force is particularly stark when we consider that in the 15-59 age groups, women’s participation is only 32 percent in rural areas compared to 83 percent for men, and 21 percent in urban areas compared to 81 percent for men. These are the most recent available data according to National Sample Survey (NSS).

India’s female labor force participation is among the lowest in the world.

Apart from the huge gap in number of employed men and women, there is also a stark difference in the kind of work men and women do. Surveys show that a very great majority of employed and working women are engaged in rural agricultural activities. There is a huge difference between the women working in agricultural sector and the women employed as skilled labors. This difference tends to plummet for the males. Studies show that more developed countries have a higher percentage of female population engaged in more productive sectors such as manufacturing and services which help in overall urbanization and GDP growth.  

 One of the largest barriers that prevent women from working is society, particularly in rural and sub-urban India. The patriarchal norms of the Indian society tend to support the idea that the ideal place for women is home. Indian parent won’t have any problem in sending the girls to schools, colleges but they are apprehensive of letting the girl go to work. The idea of women working outside their home is still culturally hard to digest. The lack of higher and professional education in rural and semi-urban areas accounts as a major reason for scarcity of women employees in skilled labor as socio-economic factors tend to weigh in.

Another major reason is the safety of women at or around workplace. The growing violence, recent cases of sexual assaults, gang rapes and sexual harassment in metropolitan and cosmopolitans have been aiding in building the general public perception that women who work in the cities are at greater risk. The insufficient maternity support to working mothers is also a major reason that accounts for the dropping out of many married woman when they are expecting a baby.

Women employment is the key to women empowerment. In a traditional and cultural country like India where the notion that women are meant to be in households, cook and take care of the rest of the family is perceived as the most common and most ideal, employment gives the women to break these barriers and stand on their own feet giving them the confidence that they are better than they are thought to be of. India is in desperate need of concrete and effective policies that will help to reduce this disparity and gender gap in employment. If we want to be one of the greatest economies of world we cannot afford turning a blind eye to this grave issue.

Content Writer: Harshit Sharma