Where are the women? only a marginal increase in women’s employment

By Rehmat Merchant

There are two working Indias when it comes to women – the postcard one and the real one. Movies and advertising portray the working woman in hotshot mode – picking up her kid in a four wheel drive, holding frenzied meetings on the webcam, and generally just rushing around closing and opening glass doors – and yes, always impeccably turned out.

But that’s just the OTT version. In real life, work life is not all that it’s cut out to be for women.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)–5 conducted from 2019-21 only thirty-two percent of married girls and women aged 15-49 are employed. And not in high profile jobs. Among these, 83 percent earn cash while 15 percent do not even receive any payment. The fact that 17 percent of the women are not being paid, indicates that the women are employed in unorganised sectors or are working in a family enterprise (fields or shops) without pay. What could be the reason for women not being eager to join the workforce? It is safe to assume that work conditions – commute, salary, job profile, family support – are not conducive enough to make women want to step out. Suresh Arun, a businessman, blames this on patriarchy: “Patriarchy is still rampant in certain families where they wouldn’t be okay with women working beyond 6:30 in the evening or taking work calls from home.”

Besides, for most working women the work day doesn’t end with the office. “Also considering that most women are required to handle household chores as well, they become reluctant to work beyond the stipulated work hours,” says Suresh. Most working women have a larger share of housework to do compared to the men in the family. They have to cook and help children with homework – all after a full day at work. It’s like keeping two jobs.

The employment rate among women in this cohort shows a marginal increase – to 32 percent -- from 31 percent as recorded in NFHS-4. The percentage of earning women has also increased by three per cent, it said. It seems like not much has changed in the way women’s roles are perceived in society. Preethi Edakunny, writer and researcher, says, “Marriage is still considered the main ‘job’ for women in South Asia so an income earning job gets second priority for a young woman.”

Preethi also touches on the ground realities for women: “A very critical aspect is poor public safety, which means restricted mobility for women, especially after late evening. So employers prefer hiring mobile men. Unlike in other countries, very few women work in shops, small cafes, restaurants, and 24-hour factory floors. But opt for domestic jobs, construction work and agriculture labour; jobs that are open for women who are semi or not literate.”

Interestingly, the latest NHFS survey has not seen a change in the percentage of employed men, but those that earn cash has increased from 91 per cent to 95 percent – a four percent increase.

Not surprisingly, in India, only 32 percent of married girls and women aged 15-49 are employed compared to 98 percent of married men in the same age group. Shaista Yacoob, a poet, says, “This is so I think because taking care of your family is a very challenging job in itself. Today, nuclear families are the norm. So there is not much help from extended families and house help is not easy to get. Balancing home and work is difficult. So, many married women are not attempting to be superwomen.”

Women’s participation in decisions about their own earnings has slightly increased (from 82 per cent to 85 per cent) in the four years since NFHS-4, the report states. However, the percentage of women earning equal to or more than their husbands has slightly decreased from 42 per cent in NFHS-4 to 40 per cent, it said.

The “women don’t need to work” rhetoric is nice until you realise that most women suffer from financial abuse, the most common and silent abuse in every home in India. Also, speaking as a working woman, I like supporting my parents and not having to depend on anyone for money, tweets @sadelokeshi

The latest NHFS survey was conducted in around 6.37 lakh sample households from 707 districts in 28 states and eight union territories, covering 7,24,115 women and 1,01,839 men. The national report also provides data on the socio-economic and other parameters, useful for policy formulation and effective programme implementation.

Poonam Muttreja, executive director, Population Foundation of India, said these numbers do not indicate a significant change in the lives of women.”A one percentage-point increase in employment among currently married women between 15-49 years, a three-percentage point increase in the percentage of women who earn