Changing Patterns of Female Work Participation in Rural and Urban India

Abstract

Female are an integral part of the overall development of any economy. Their contribution remained immense in different stages of economic development. The contribution which they make is measured only when they are actively participating in economic activities. In India, the greatest problem that the country is experiencing is that female is either exiting from the work or shifting to the newer areas of work. The basic reason is that they want to be engaged in paid jobs. After the period of economic reform inclination of female towards the paid job is faster than the earlier period. This preference is not only in urban areas but in rural areas as well. The main purpose is to improve the living standard of not only of self but enhance the overall family income to have the better living condition. Today’s women are busy exploring new areas of work. They are trying to improve their qualification and working hard towards skilling themselves. But in the midst of all these efforts from their side, there are many constraints which are proving as a hurdle in their work participation. These bottlenecks need to be removed to provide them with better opportunities so that they can enhance their abilities to adapt themselves with the changes in the internal as well as external environment. The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few decades. The objective of my paper is: to know the pattern of female work participation in rural and urban India; to examine the areas from where they are exiting; to know the areas where they are shifting; what needs to be done to stop their exit from the work and how to provide them with work preferences so that their potentialities can be utilized for the overall growth and development of the economy.