Indian women care-giving activities up to 8 times that of men: report
The female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India is significantly below the male participation rate and a major reason for this is that women in India bear a disproportionate responsibility for domestic and care-giving activities which is upto 8 times than that of men, according to a report by Goldman Sachs Research.
The report 'India Womenomics': A Step Forward in a Long Journey Ahead', assesses the current employment status of women in India and explores opportunities that lie ahead. A series of Goldman Sachs research reports have explored the 'Womenomics' theme, assessing the impact of female labour force participation on long-term economic growth across different geographies over the past 26 years.
According to the report, over the next two decades, India is uniquely positioned to reap dividends from favourable demographics. A large share of the population will enter their working age years and India's age-dependency ratio will be one of the lowest among major economies. Nevertheless, the female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India is significantly below the male participation rate and also below these rates in other major developed and emerging economies.
'To capitalize on this 20-year window of favourable demographics, it is imperative, in our view, for India to create employment opportunities for women and increase their participation in the labour force. We have earlier estimated that increasing the overall labour force participation rate to previous peak levels can add by 1 pp to India's potential growth, all else constant,' it said.
Though disproportionate responsibility for domestic and care-giving activities was one of the key reasons for women's low participation in the labour force, other reasons include horizontal inequalities such as early marriage, prevailing social norms that limit the occupational choices for women, crime incidents that deter women from working away from their residence, a lack of robust public transport connectivity and having fewer women role models.
The report notes that with lots of ground to cover to bridge the gender gap, there have been a number of initiatives taken by successive Indian governments, focused on promoting education, well-being and access to basic amenities for women. Partly as a result of these initiatives, the status of women in India is gradually improving and there has been an uptick in women's participation in the labour force.
A robust network of childcare centers and enabling an elder care ecosystem would free up women's time for paid employment opportunities elsewhere and create greater employment opportunities for the 'care work' services sector. It quotes from a report by the ILO which states that direct public investment amounting to 2% of GDP in the 'care economy' could create over 11 million jobs in India, of which 43% to 74% would be for women.
On a brighter side, the report notes that as per the Indian statistical office, the share of self-employed women (who run enterprises on their own, as a partnership, and/or employ others) has risen by 11pp (percentage point) from 2017-18 to 2023-24. Over the same period, the share of self-employed women, who were not remunerated (who help in a household enterprise) also rose by 5pp.
Various initiatives focused on financial inclusion, greater digitization, improvement in infrastructure, and the development of enhanced skills have also contributed to rising self-employment among women, the report says.
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