Lok Sabha Question No. 2246 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-02
Subject: Women Work Force Participation
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Feroze Varun Gandhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2246

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02 nd  DECEMBER, 2019

## WOMEN WORK FORCE PARTICIPATION

2246.   SHRI FEROZE VARUN GANDHI:

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

- (a) whether the Government has data on women work force participation in the country since 2015 and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  encourage  women  work  force participation and women entrepreneurs in the country ; and
- (c) the data on number of women who remained unemployed since 2015, Statewise?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): As per the results of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted during  2017-18  by  National  Statistical  Office  (NSO),  Ministry  of  Statistics  and Programme  Implementation  and  Annual  Employment-Unemployment  Survey conducted by Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour& Employment, the estimated female labour force participation rate on usual status (ps+ss) for 15 years and above to the extent available is given below:

| Female Labour Force Participation Rate   | Female Labour Force Participation Rate   |
|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| Survey*                                  | All India                                |
| 2017-18 (PLFS)                           | 23.3%                                    |
| 2015-16 (Labour Bureau)                  | 27.4%                                    |

(Note:*  Survey  methodology  and  sample  selection  are  different  in  PLFS  and Labour Bureau surveys)

State/  UT-wise  details  of  the  female  unemployment  rate  for  persons  aged  15 years  &  above  according  to  Usual  Principal  &  Subsidiary  Status  Approach (ps+ss) is at Annexure.

Government has taken several initiatives  to  improve  women's  participation  in the  labour  force.  In  order  to  encourage  employment  of  women,  a  number  of protective provisions have been incorporated in various labour laws for creating congenial  work  environment  for  women  workers.  These  includes  child  care centers, time-off for feeding children, enhancement in paid maternity leave from 12  weeks  to  26  weeks,  provisions  for  mandatory  crèche  facility  in the establishments having 50 or more employees, permitting women workers in the night shifts with adequate safety measures, etc.

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.

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 without any gender discrimination.

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.

*****

## Statement Referred to in Reply To Part (a) To (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2246 For 02.12.2019 Regarding 'Women Work Force Participation'

| State/ UT-wise Unemployment rate (in %) according to usual status (ps+ss) for persons aged 15 years & above according to Usual Principal & Subsidiary Status Approach (ps+ss)   | State/ UT-wise Unemployment rate (in %) according to usual status (ps+ss) for persons aged 15 years & above according to Usual Principal & Subsidiary Status Approach (ps+ss)   | State/ UT-wise Unemployment rate (in %) according to usual status (ps+ss) for persons aged 15 years & above according to Usual Principal & Subsidiary Status Approach (ps+ss)   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| State/ UT                                                                                                                                                                       | Labour Bureau (2015-16)                                                                                                                                                         | PLFS (2017-18)                                                                                                                                                                  |
| Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                  | 3.7                                                                                                                                                                             | 3.9                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Arunachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                                               | 2.9                                                                                                                                                                             | 11.5                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Assam                                                                                                                                                                           | 8.4                                                                                                                                                                             | 13.6                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Bihar                                                                                                                                                                           | 3.9                                                                                                                                                                             | 2.8                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                                                                    | 1.1                                                                                                                                                                             | 3.3                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Delhi                                                                                                                                                                           | 7.1                                                                                                                                                                             | 10.7                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Goa                                                                                                                                                                             | 15.2                                                                                                                                                                            | 26.0                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Gujarat                                                                                                                                                                         | 0.5                                                                                                                                                                             | 4.1                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Haryana                                                                                                                                                                         | 5.5                                                                                                                                                                             | 10.6                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Himachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                | 16.3                                                                                                                                                                            | 4.3                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Jammu & Kashmir                                                                                                                                                                 | 25.7                                                                                                                                                                            | 8.5                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Jharkhand                                                                                                                                                                       | 1.8                                                                                                                                                                             | 5.2                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Karnataka                                                                                                                                                                       | 1.8                                                                                                                                                                             | 4.7                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Kerala                                                                                                                                                                          | 24.5                                                                                                                                                                            | 23.2                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                  | 6.3                                                                                                                                                                             | 2.1                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Maharashtra                                                                                                                                                                     | 1.7                                                                                                                                                                             | 5.4                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Manipur                                                                                                                                                                         | 2.7                                                                                                                                                                             | 15.7                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Meghalaya                                                                                                                                                                       | 6.9                                                                                                                                                                             | 1.9                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Mizoram                                                                                                                                                                         | 2.3                                                                                                                                                                             | 13.3                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Nagaland                                                                                                                                                                        | 6.1                                                                                                                                                                             | 34.3                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Odisha                                                                                                                                                                          | 6.6                                                                                                                                                                             | 6.3                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Punjab                                                                                                                                                                          | 18.7                                                                                                                                                                            | 11.7                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Rajasthan                                                                                                                                                                       | 2.8                                                                                                                                                                             | 2.3                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Sikkim                                                                                                                                                                          | 13.2                                                                                                                                                                            | 5.2                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                                                                      | 5.4                                                                                                                                                                             | 7.1                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Telangana                                                                                                                                                                       | 4.2                                                                                                                                                                             | 7.2                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Tripura                                                                                                                                                                         | 16.8                                                                                                                                                                            | 11.6                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Uttarakhand                                                                                                                                                                     | 9.1                                                                                                                                                                             | 10.7                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                   | 13.9                                                                                                                                                                            | 3.1                                                                                                                                                                             |
| West Bengal                                                                                                                                                                     | 6.8                                                                                                                                                                             | 3.1                                                                                                                                                                             |
| A & N Islands                                                                                                                                                                   | 30.8                                                                                                                                                                            | 42.8                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Chandigarh                                                                                                                                                                      | 1.9                                                                                                                                                                             | 20.8                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli                                                                                                                                                            | 7.3                                                                                                                                                                             | 0.0                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Daman & Diu                                                                                                                                                                     | 1.8                                                                                                                                                                             | 3.3                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Lakshadweep                                                                                                                                                                     | 8.5                                                                                                                                                                             | 50.5                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Puducherry                                                                                                                                                                      | 10.2                                                                                                                                                                            | 21.7                                                                                                                                                                            |
| all-India                                                                                                                                                                       | 5.8                                                                                                                                                                             | 5.6                                                                                                                                                                             |

Source: Fifth Annual Employment - Unemployment Survey (2015-16) by Labour Bureau & Annual Report (PLFS, 2017-18), MoS&PI