Despite rising education levels and declining fertility, Indian women’s labour force participation remains significantly low. What can be done to counter this declining trend? (200 words)
Refer – The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
To improve women’s labour force participation
· The government must loudly and persistently condemn the visible and invisible ways in which patriarchal attitudes disempowering women.
· Have to implement policies that will encourage women’s work.
· For example, macroeconomic evidence from OECD countries suggests that childcare subsidies can stimulate female labour participation by raising the returns of work outside the home.
· But while crèches and day-care facilities in India are mandated as per policy, they are often non-functional or do not exist near the women who need them.
· There is also evidence that paid parental leave and job guarantees have a positive effect on female workforce participation.
· Although India’s new maternity leave policy is quite generous by international standards, it does not cover the vast majority of working women engaged in the informal sector.
· Also, the costs for that are to be borne wholly by employers, potentially hurting the demand for female labour.
· In addition, lessons from developed countries may not apply in the deeply patriarchal Indian context.
· Thus more data on women’s time use and perceived costs and benefits of being in the workforce is needed to make women’s contribution visible, learn about the constraints they face, and determine which policies are likely to expand work opportunities.
· Each one of us must engage in reflection and dialogue to recognise and counter gender inequality.
RIAZ KHAN 6 years
pliz review
IAS Parliament 6 years
Vishwanth Adhepalli 6 years
Please review and provide your valuable feedback and suggestions, Thanks In advance!
IAS Parliament 6 years
