The latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report has revealed the stark differences among the states when it comes to women’s workforce participation or female labor force participation rate (FLPR). Though considered replete with opportunities, Delhi-NCR has the lowest women’s workforce participation rate in urban areas.
A news report that revealed the findings said that overall women’s workforce participation has improved from 17.4% in 2018 to 24.8% in 2022. However, it also highlighted the wide gaps in their participation.
Though women in Delhi earned more than those in Mumbai and Kolkata, their overall workforce participation was the second lowest after Bihar. The news report added that a regular salaried women worker in Delhi earns 40 percent more than her counterpart in metropolitan cities—Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai. Yet, with a decline from 11% to 9%, the Delhi-NCR FLPR lags when compared to the other metros and is the lowest for urban areas, where the average is 18.8%.
The inference from the PLFS also mirrors the findings of the Avtar Viewport 2022: Top Cities for Women in India.
The TCWI ranked 111 cities in India in City Inclusion Score– a composite of social inclusion score, and industrial inclusion score. Delhi was ranked 14th in the million-plus category of cities, with a City Inclusion Score of 41.36, more than 30 points less than the top city.
Highlighting the lack of gender inclusion, the news report points to issues like lower sex ratio and female literacy. The TCWI revealed that the city has a higher industrial inclusion score at the 9th rank when it concerns aspects like inclusive organizations, inclusive Industries, and career enablers. However, it lacks social enablers like ease of living, safety, women’s representation, and women’s empowerment, ranking it 19th in social inclusion. The rankings also make it among the majority of state capitals that don’t feature in the top 10.
