Lok Sabha Question No. 4970 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-26
Subject: Female Participation in Workforce
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: YERRAM VENKATA SUBBAREDDY, PANKAJ CHOWDHARY

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4970 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26TH MARCH, 2018

## FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN WORKFORCE

4970.  SHRI Y.V. SUBBA REDDY: SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of the World Bank's recently released India  Development  Report  which  indicates  that  India  ranks  120th  among  131 countries with one of the lowest female participation in workforce and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the decline is consistent and drastic in spite of 42 percent women being graduates;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  reasons  for  lesser  female participation in the workforce  in  the  country  along  with  the  steps/measures  being  taken  by  the Government to correct/improve the situation;
- (d) whether the Government has undertaken any study to ascertain the reasons for discrimination  against  women  in  the  country  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof including  the  laws  hindering  participation  of  women  in  workforce  and  denying equal opportunities due to gender bias; and
- (e) the  corrective  steps  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  in  this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

- (a) to (e):  As per World Bank's "India Development Report" India  ranks 120th  among 131  countries.

Labour  Bureau,  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Employment  has  been  conducting  Annual Employment-Unemployment (EUS) Surveys. Till now, five rounds of the surveys have been  conducted  in  the  years 2010-11, 2011-12,  2012-13,  2013-14  &  2015-16 respectively. The report of last round of Annual Employment Unemployment Survey i.e. 5th EUS (2015-16) was released in September, 2016. Labour Force Estimate has been calculated under Annual EUS.  The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for female are given at Annexure-I. The decline in female work force participation rate may be attributed to factors like increased educational attendance and higher level of participation in education and insufficient formal wage employment opportunities etc. Government has been targeting this issue by taking up several initiatives to improve the employability of youth including women. A new Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has been established to coordinate the skill development schemes across  various  sectors.  Government  has  also  implemented  the  National  Career Service (NCS) Project which comprises a digital portal that provides a nation-wide online platform for jobseekers and employers for job matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner and has a repository of career content. In  order  to  encourage  the  employment  for  women,  statutory  provisions  have  been made  in  certain  Labour  laws  for  organizing  child  care  centers  for  the  benefit  of women  workers,  Factories  Act  1948,  the  Beedi  &  Cigar  Workers  (Conditions  of Employment) Act 1966 and the Building and other Construction Workers (Regulation of  Employment  and  conditions  of  Service)Act  1996.  The  Mines  Creche  Rules  1966 provide  for  establishment  of  crèches  for  the  benefit  of  women  workers.  The Plantation Labour Act 1951 provides that the women workers be provided time-off for feeding children.  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005

also provides for child care facilities at worksite.

Central  Government  has  targeted  the  issue  by  taking  various  prominent  steps  to increase  female  labour  participation  rate  which  includes  the  enactment  of  the Maternity  Benefit  (Amendment)  Act, 2017  which  provides  for  enhancement  in  paid maternity  leave  from  12  weeks  to  26  weeks  and  provisions  for  mandatory  crèche facility in the establishments having 50 or more employees; issue of an advisory to the States under the Factories Act, 1948 for permitting women workers in the night shifts with adequate safety measures. Further, in order to enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a network of Women Industrial Training institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. A number of protective provisions have been incorporated  in  various  labour  laws  for  creating  congenial  work  environment  for women workers. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 provides for payment of equal remuneration to men  and  women  workers  for  same  work  or  work  of  similar  nature  without  any discrimination. Further, under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the wages fixed by the appropriate Government are equally applicable to both male and female workers and the Act does not discriminate on the basis of gender.

*****

Annexure-I

Annex referred to in reply to parts (a) to  (e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4970 due for reply on 26.03.2018

## (a) Labour Force Participation Rate based on Usual Principal Status (UPS) Approach for Females aged 15 Years & above based on 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th EUS

(in per cent)

| Survey s                | Labour Force Participation Rate (Females) under UPS   | Labour Force Participation Rate (Females) under UPS   | Labour Force Participation Rate (Females) under UPS   |
|-------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Survey s                | RURAL                                                 | URBAN                                                 | RURAL + URBAN                                         |
| (Second EUS 2011 - 12   | 28 . 0                                                | 17 . 9                                                | 25 . 4                                                |
| ) Third EUS) 2012 - 13  | 24 . 8                                                | 16 . 9                                                | 22 . 6                                                |
| ) Fourth EUS) 2013 - 14 | 29 . 1                                                | 18 . 5                                                | 25 . 8                                                |
| (Fifth EUS) 2015 - 16   | 26 . 7                                                | 16 . 2                                                | 23 . 7                                                |

- (b) Labour  Force  Participation  Rate  based  on  Usual  Principal  &  Subsidiary  Status (UPSS) (PS + SS) Approach for Females aged 15 Years & above based on 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th EUS (in per cent)
- (c) Per  1000  distribution  for  Females  aged  15  years  &  above  by  main  activity  & educational classification according to Usual Principal Status (ps) (UPS) Approach (Rural + Urban)

| Survey s                | Labour Force Participation Rate (Females) under UPS   | Labour Force Participation Rate (Females) under UPS   | Labour Force Participation Rate (Females) under UPS   |
|-------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Survey s                | RURAL                                                 | URBAN                                                 | RURAL + URBAN                                         |
| (Second EUS 2011 - 12   | 33 . 9                                                | 19 . 1                                                | 30 . 0                                                |
| ) Third EUS) 2012 - 13  | 29 . 9                                                | 17 . 8                                                | 26 . 5                                                |
| ) Fourth EUS) 2013 - 14 | 36 . 4                                                | 19 . 7                                                | 31 . 1                                                |
| (Fifth EUS) 2015 - 16   | 31 . 7                                                | 16 . 6                                                | 27 . 4                                                |

| S.N.   | Educational Classification                |   Employed |   Unemployed |   Not In Labour Force |
|--------|-------------------------------------------|------------|--------------|-----------------------|
| 1      | Not literate                              |        287 |           10 |                   703 |
| 2      | Below Primary                             |        245 |            7 |                   747 |
| 3      | Primary                                   |        234 |           10 |                   756 |
| 4      | Middle                                    |        195 |           13 |                   793 |
| 5      | Secondary                                 |        147 |           14 |                   840 |
| 6      | Higher                                    |        117 |           27 |                   855 |
| 7      | Certificate course at undergraduate level |        230 |           61 |                   709 |
| 8      | Diploma/certificate                       |        231 |           60 |                   709 |
| 9      | Graduate                                  |        207 |          109 |                   684 |
| 10     | Post Graduate & Above                     |        360 |          122 |                   518 |
|        | Overall                                   |        217 |           21 |                   763 |

Source: Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment