Assess the broad impact of the pandemic on women's participation in the workforce. Identify the broad trends in women's employment in the formal and informal workforce by age group, urban-rural population, nature of work etc., pre and post COVID. Analyse the female labour force participation trends in Karnataka to draw a comparison with other states and identify the key factors which affected women's access to jobs, pre-COVID. Study this alongside the added barriers to work during the pandemic, to understand why fewer women seem to be returning to work than men.  Compare the various efforts initiated at the central and state levels to improve women’s access to economic opportunities. Based on these analyses, and identification of the types of work which have seen increased participation among women since the pandemic, suggest policy and programme measures that can be undertaken at the central and state level to increase workforce participation among women, especially in the context of Karnataka.