India's Female Workforce Participation Lags Behind G20 Standards, Warns Experts

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 22 July 2025

• A Reuters poll reveals that bridging the gender participation gap in India’s labor market may take decades
• Despite rising female workforce, only 15.9% hold salaried jobs, with women in rural areas rely on self-employment
• Experts cite that safety and unpaid domestic work keep many women out of workplace

India may take more than two decades to align female workforce participation with G20 standards, according to a Reuters poll. Economists and policy experts warn that the already-low rate is further skewed by an overrepresentation of poorly-paid self-employment.

As India’s youthful workforce continues to expand rapidly, job generation lags behind. Women constitute half of this demographic but are underutilized in the formal economy, with most working outside structured payroll systems.

The 2023-24 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reports a rise in female labor participation to 31.7%, up from 27.8%. Despite the improvement, the figure is still far below the government’s 2047 ambition of reaching 70%, reflecting the scale of structural changes required.

"The kind of work women are involved in is not really what we call good jobs or good quality work. It's really just bottom of the ladder, survivalist kind. It's good they're participating but it's not the kind of transformational participation you might imagine," said Ashwini Deshpande, a professor and head of the department of economics at Ashoka University. "The job crisis is much more acute than in countries with similar levels of GDP...And when jobs are scarce, men get the first priority everywhere," added Deshpande.

In a survey of 40 experts, 80% said India needs 20-30 years to match the G20 levels in female labour participation. India ranks lowest in female labour participation among G20 countries, per World Bank, well below the 50% average.

Respondents identified key Government priorities: scaling childcare infrastructure, improving workplace safety, and enhancing legal protections against discrimination. Over 70% of experts say India’s data downplays real unemployment, while safety and unpaid domestic work keep many women out of the workplace.