Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, shared that women’s participation in the workforce has seen a remarkable increase, doubling in the last seven years. He observed that this growth parallels a trend where women are working longer hours than men in specific industries, a shift he attributed to the inclusive labor policies introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mandaviya referred to this shift as a “silent revolution,” noting that it has changed conventional ideas about women’s roles in the labor market. He credited initiatives like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Stand-Up India, and Skill India for playing pivotal roles in advancing women’s economic involvement. Similarly, Ms. Smriti Irani noted that women in professional, scientific, and technical fields are now surpassing men in weekly working hours, with some exceeding 55 hours per week.
Additionally, the government is working on a new framework to further increase women’s workforce participation by tackling major challenges and offering extended social security to women in the unorganized sector. A Business Standard analysis of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data revealed that self-employment among women soared to 67.4% in 2023-24 from 51.9% in 2017-18. This growth was more pronounced in rural areas, where the percentage jumped from 57.7% to 73.5%, while urban areas saw a rise from 34.7% to 42.3%. Women’s overall participation in the labor force surged to 41.7% in 2023-24, compared to 23.3% in 2017-18.
