Indian women play an important but often undervalued role in the Indian economy. They primarily work in the agricultural sector or as unpaid household laborers, and face significant barriers and inequalities compared to men. Women have very low representation in parliament and education levels, and make up a small percentage of the workforce outside of agriculture. They also earn significantly less than men and have high levels of self-employment and insecure work. While some government policies aim to empower women economically, India ranks low on measures of gender inequality and more efforts are still needed to address disparities and promote women's participation and decision making in the Indian economy.

1. WOMEN IN INDIAN
ECONOMY
By Anjali Mathews
Central University Of Haryana

2. WHAT DOES AN AVERAGE INDIAN
WOMEN DO?
 household works
 taking care of family and children
 cooking food
 cleanliness of house
 small savings
 can be a skilled or unskilled labourer.

3. “ARDHANGINI”
- BETTER HALF OF A MAN

4. A PARADOX
 INDIA STANDS 127TH POSITION IN GENDER INEQUALITY INDEX 2013 WITH 0.563
OUT OF 187 NATIONS.
 INDIA’S RANK IS BELOW SRILANKA(75), SOUTH AFRICA(94) , IRAN(109),
SAUDI ARABIA (56)ETC.
 DETAILED ANALYSIS
COUNTRY SHARE OF
PARLIAMENTARY
SEAT
POPULATION WITH
ATLEAST SOME
SECONDARY EDUCATION
PARTICIPATIO
N RATE
FEMALE
INDIA 10.9 26.6 28.8
IRAN 3.1 62.2 16.4
SOUTH
AFRICA
41.1 72.7 44.2
SRILANKA 5.8 72.7 35
SAUDI
ARABIA
19.9 60.5 18.2

5. Women employment status in
India:

6. EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF
WOMEN
 THE LEVEL OF EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALE IS HIGH ONLY IN
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR (INFORMAL) COMPARED TO
MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE SECTOR.
 MORE THAN 70% OF FEMALE POPULATION IS EMPLOYED IN
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR , ON THE OTHER HAND IT IS AROUND
20% EACH FOR MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE SECTOR.
 THE PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYED WOMEN IS DECREASING IN
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR FROM 1999 TO 2012 WHEREAS THERE
IS ONLY A MARGINAL INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF
WOMEN EMPLOYED IN OTHER TWO SECTORS.

7.  MAJORITY OF INDIAN WOMEN ARE WORKING
UNDER THE UNORGANIZED SECTOR, ACCORDING TO
NATIONAL COMMISION FOR ENTERPRISES AND THE
WORLD BANK DATABASE.
 A LARGE PROPORTION OF THESE UNORGANIZED
WORKERS REMAIN OUTSIDE THE PROTECTION OF
MINIMUM WAGES ACT IN 2002.

8. EMPLOYMENT TO POPULATION RATIO
FEMALE: INDIA

9. EMPLOYMENTTO POPULATIONRATIOIN
INDIA
 FEMALE WPR WAS NEARLY 30% TO 35% IN 1996 TO
2000, BUT IT STARTED DECREASING IN LAST DECADE.
 IT MEANS THE FEMALE WPR (WORK POPULATION
RATIO)IS AROUND 22% IN 2011-12.
THE RURAL –URBAN FEMALE WPR IS 25% AND 15%
RESPECTIVELY. (MOSPI)
 THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR FEMALES IN RURAL
AREA IS 2% AND URBAN IS 5%.

10.  BETWEEN THE 66TH AND 68TH ROUND OF
NSSO, THE RURAL FEMALE WORKERS REDUCED
BY APPROXIMATELY 3 MILLION AND URBAN
INCREASED BY 5 MILLION.(MOSPI)

11. GENDER INEQUALITY IN
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
Variables Years
1990 1995 2000 2005 2007/08
Female Economic
Activity (aged 15 and
above)
Rate - 41.8 42.5 34.0
Index (1990=0) - - 105 94
(2003) (2005)
As % of male rate 25.6 24 49.3 50 42
SOURCE: IBID

12. SHAREOFSELF-EMPLOYMENTAND
CASUALLABOUR
 THE SHARES OF SELF EMPLOYMENT IN
TOTAL WORK FORCE WERE 59% OF
RURAL FEMALES AND 43% OF URBAN
FEMALES.
 THE SHARES OF CASUAL LABOUR IS 35%
OF RURAL FEMALES, AND 14% OF URBAN
FEMALES.

13. WAGE RATE
 IN THE RURAL AREAS, WAGES RECEIVED PER DAY BY A REGULAR
WAGE/SALARIED EMPLOYEE WAS RS. 322 FOR MALES AND RS.
202 FOR FEMALES, INDICATING THE FEMALE-MALE WAGE RATIO
AS 0.63.
 IN THE URBAN AREAS, THIS WAS RS. 470 FOR MALES AND RS. 366
FOR FEMALES, INDICATING THE FEMALE-MALE WAGE RATIO AS
0.78 .
 DAILY WAGES RECEIVED BY CASUAL LABOURS ENGAGED IN WORKS
OTHER THAN PUBLIC WORKS WAS ,IN THE RURAL AREAS, WAGE
RECEIVED (PER DAY) WAS RS. 149 FOR MALES AND RS. 103 FOR
FEMALES. IN THE URBAN AREAS, THE CORRESPONDING RATES
WERE RS. 182 AND RS. 111 FOR MALES AND FEMALES,
RESPECTIVELY. (MOSPI,2013)

14. FEMALE MIGRATION: INDIA
 OF THE 190 MILLION OR SO MIGRANTS IN THE WORLD TODAY,
ALMOST 50% ARE FEMALES; THE MAJORITY HAVING MOVED FROM
AND WITHIN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
 BY THE 1990S, WOMEN WERE MIGRATING IN HIGHER NUMBERS,
BOTH AS FAMILY MEMBERS AND INDEPENDENTLY, VOLUNTARILY OR
INVOLUNTARILY.
 MANY MIGRANT WOMEN SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUY LAND
OR REAL ESTATE WITH THEIR EARNINGS (E.G. INDIAN AND FILIPINA
MIGRANTS). MANY TEND TO REMIT MORE OF THEIR EARNINGS
THAN MEN, AND TO EXERCISE CONTROL OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD
INCOME BY ENSURING THE REMITTANCES ARE SPENT ON FOOD
AND CLOTHES FOR THE FAMILY BACK HOME (IOM, 2005B).

15.  INCREASED EDUCATION SEEMS TO ENCOURAGE MORE MIGRATION OF
WOMEN (UNESCAP, 2003A), AND IN TURN FOSTER GREATER EDUCATION
OF FEMALES.
 IN KERALA, INDIA, IN THE 1990S, THE SO-CALLED “GULF WIVES” LEFT
BEHIND BY MALE EMIGRANTS WERE FOUND TO EXPERIENCE LONELINESS
AND TOO HIGH A WORK BURDEN AT HOME. BUT TODAY, THEY AND THEIR
DAUGHTERS FORM A NEW GENERATION OF SELF-CONFIDENT,
INDEPENDENT FEMALE MANAGERS IN KERALA (UNESCAP, 2003A).
 GOVERNMENT POLICY AT BOTH THE ORIGIN AND DESTINATION ENDS OF
THE MIGRATION SPECTRUM CAN HAVE A GENDER-SPECIFIC INFLUENCE ON
MIGRATION DECISIONS. MANY POOR FEMALE MIGRANTS HAVE BEEN
MORE VULNERABLE TO IRREGULAR FORMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND
DEPORTATION BY HAVING THEIR RESIDENCY STATUS AND ENTITLEMENTS
TIED TO THE IMMIGRANT STATUS OF THE MALE SPOUSE ( IRENA
OMELANIUK, WORLD BANK) .

16. WOMENENTREPRENEURSHIPINUNORGANIZED
MANUFACTURING(SHAREOFYOUNG
PROPRIETARYOWNEDBYWOMEN)
MAJOR CITIES PERCENTAGE
DELHI 20-30%
KOLKOTTA >50%
MUMBAI 20-30%
CHENNAI >50%
HYDERABAD >50%
BANGLORE 20-30%
SOURCE: WORLDBANK PREM REPORT NO:107

17. SHAREOFYOUNG FEMALEPROPRIETARY
OWNERSIN SERVICESECTOR
MAJOR CITIES PERCENTAGE
DELHI 10-20%
KOLKOTTA 0-10%
MUMBAI 10-20%
CHENNAI 10-20%
HYDERABAD 20-30%
BANGLORE 20-30%
SOURCE: WORLDBANK PREM REPORT NO:107

18. LANDHOLDINGPATTERNOFFEMALESHG
MEMBERS
LAND HOLDING (IN ACRES) WOMEN (1366 OUT OF 2064)
LANDLESS 1194
MARGINAL HOLDING ( <2.5) 0
SMALL HOLDINGS(2.5 TO 5) 172
MEDIUM HOLDINGS (5.1-10) 0
LARGE HOLDINGS(>10) 0
TOTAL 1366
SOURCE: VOICE 2008, PLANNING COMMISSION

19. BASIC FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS; USES OF
BANK ACCOUNTS

20. BANK ACCOUNTS OF FEMALES:
ACCESS VERSUS UTLILIZATION
 ABOVE 25% OF FEMALE POPULATION OWNS A
BANK ACCOUNT IN INDIA.
 BUT A CLOSER ANALYSIS REVEALS THAT LESS
THAN 5% USES ACCOUNT TO RECEIVE WAGES.
 AROUND 3% to 4% RECEIVES GOVERNMENT
FUNDS THROUGH BANK ACCOUNTS.
 ABOUT 2.5% USES THE ACCOUNTS FOR
BUSINESS PURPOSES.
 LESS THAN 1% USE THE ACCOUNT TO RECEIVE
REMITTANCES.

21. USAGE OF INTERNET BY FEMALES IN INDIA, SOUTH AFRICA AND SAUDI ARABIA

22. INTERNET USAGE: FEMALES
 COMPARED TO FELLOW NATIONS LIKE SAUDI
ARABIA (WHERE THERE ARE SOCIO-POLITICAL
RESTRICTIONS UPON WOMEN) AND SOUTH AFRICA,
ONLY 20% OF INDIAN WOMEN USES INTERNET.
 ON THE OTHER HAND, IN SAUDI ARABIA, IT IS
AROUND 70% AND IN SOTH AFRICA, IT IS NEARLY
49% TO 50%.
 THE INTERNET USAGE BY FEMALES IN INDIA
STARTED VERY LATE FROM 2012-13 AND IT HAS
CONSTANTLY INCREASED TO 20% BY 2014.

23.  THIS SHOWS THE LOW INTERNET ACCESS FOR
WOMEN IN INDIA COMPARED TO OTHER NATIONS.
 IT ALSO THREW LIGHT TO THE IMPACTS OF
NATIONAL DIGITAL LITERACY PROGRAMME
WHICH WAS INITIATED BY EARLY 2000’S.

24. GENDER SENSITIVE ECONOMIC
POLICIES
 GENDER BUDGETING (2005): A TOOL FOR
ENGENDERING MACROECONOMIC POLICIES.
 NATIONAL POLICY FOR EMPOWERMENT OF
WOMEN (2001)

25. INITIATIVESIN INDIA
 DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT UNDER
MHRD.
 27 SCHEMES UNDER 7TH FYP.
 WOMEN ORIENTED PROGRAMMES IN 8TH PLAN.
 UNDER 9TH FYP, FUND FLOW TO EARMARKED WOMEN RELATED
SECTORS WERE INITIATED.(WOMEN’S COMPONENT PLAN (WCP))
 10TH PLAN AIMED AT WCP AND GENDER BUDGETING.
 THE 11TH FYP, DEMANDED GENDER MAINSTREAMING AND
MENTIONED "GENDER EQUITY REQUIRES ADEQUATE PROVISIONS
TO BE MADE IN POLICIES AND SCHEMES ACROSS MINISTRIES AND
DEPARTMENTS. “
 THE STEERING COMMITTEE ON WOMEN’S AGENCY AND
EMPOWERMENT HAS SUGGESTED UNDER THE 12TH FYP,
MEASURES TO PREVENT THE GENDER BIAS.

26. CRITICAL AREAS OF ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
EDUCATION

27. “DEVELOPMENT, IF NOT
ENGENDERED,IS ENDANGERED.”
-MAHBUB UL HAQ

28. THANK YOU