Narrative of Lower Female Labour Participation is False When We Recognise Women’s Work

Care work consists of two overlapping activities: direct, personal and relational care activities, such as feeding a baby or nursing an ill partner and indirect care activities such as cooking and cleaning. Unpaid care work is care work provided without a monetary reward by unpaid carers. Paid care work is performed for pay or profit by care workers. Domestic workers, who provide both direct and indirect care in households are also part of the care workforce. 

Jobless growth and low female labour force participation (FLFP) in India are pressing concerns for policymakers — these issues persist despite widespread discussions and efforts made to address them. FLFP stands at 31.5 % compared to 77.4% of males, a huge gap that presents both challenges and opportunities (Figure 1).

A significant portion of the work performed by women, particularly unpaid household care work, goes unrecognised and is considered outside the labour force. The burden of activities including cooking, cleaning, and caring for old, adults, and children largely falls upon women. The burden of such activities restricts women’s participation in the market and these activities are not even recognised as work. Once this work is recognised, it becomes evident that more women are working in India than men, challenging the perception of low female work participation (Figure 1).

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Figure 1 reports the usual labour force participation (LFP) and LFP plus care work for the period of 2017 to 2023 according to men and women. We can note that women’s LFP is three-four times less compared to men’s. But when we account for care work we can see that women’s LFP is higher than men’s. Women have been assigned the responsibility of unpaid care work in households, even when it does not necessarily require their involvement.

The unpaid household burden is one of the major reasons behind women’s lower participation in labour market. As depicted in Figure 2 — 75% of women who are out of the market remain engaged in unpaid domestic care responsibility, while the comparable figure for men is only 5%. Even women who are actively engaged in the workforce often carry a significant burden of unpaid care responsibilities, such as childcare and household chores, which can impact their ability to fully participate in the labour market. As seen in Figure 3, female underemployment (less than 40 hours of work a week) has increased over the years, from 40% of women underemployed in 2017-18 to 54% in 2022-23 while for men it has increased from 15% to 18% for the same period. This stark difference is a depiction of the double burden that is largely true for working women. This issue may not be unexpected, but it is a critical concern that demands careful consideration and prompt action from policymakers to address its implications.