What are your views about women dropping out of the labour force due to inability to find work?

As per the statistics outlined in the labour force survey, there is a gender revolution. More than half of rural women who were a part of the labour force in 2004-05 have dropped out in the latest in 2017-18. Only 48.5 % of rural women above 15 years of age are being employed in a full-time or a part-time occupation as per the 61st round of the National Sample Survey Office. The number has fallen to a dismal figure of 23.7% as per the latest report released by the Periodic Labour Force Survey. This is a prelude to a huge shift in the rural lifestyles and a worrying trend. This drop is not sudden but has come gradually. The trend was actually set in 2011-12. The figure is even worse for the urban women where the WPR or the Worker to Population Ratio for the urban women aged above 15 has fallen from 22.7% in 2004-05 to 18.2% in 2017-18. The trend points to a fact that the women are not able to find suitable work in the crowded labour market thus giving a clear indication to disguised unemployment which is tragic for the nation. A broader look suggests that the decline is prominently seen in the illiterate and poorest sections of the society. It is seen that the decline has majorly arisen by an obvious decline in the agricultural participation of women and other allied works. Most of these women who have been put out of the labour force are not contended with their status and are constantly looking for alternate employment which tends to fragment their work.

Topics: GS-I: Role of Women and Women's Organization