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70% women workforce participation by 2047 key to Viksit Bharat: Labour Secy

2025-03-05 00:00:00.0 商业标准报-经济和政策原网页

Achieving a 70 per cent women workforce participation by 2047 is crucial to make India a developed nation, and the government is working to turn it into a reality, Union Labour Secretary Sumita Dawra said on Wednesday.

While addressing the ‘Women in Services Sector’ CII Dialogue 2025, Dawra said that the increased women workforce participation will unlock immense economic potential and foster growth of the country.

Dawra also highlighted the significant strides made by women in India's economic landscape. She noted that over the past six years, the labour force participation rate for women has risen from 23 per cent in 2017-18 to around 42 per cent in 2023-24.

This uptick is evident across various sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing and services, with a notable increase in educated women joining the workforce.

She also acknowledged ongoing challenges such as workplace biases, wage disparities, limited leadership opportunities, job security concerns and the balancing act between professional and domestic responsibilities as the major hurdles to women’s participation in the workforce.

She also emphasised the importance of mentorship programs to prepare women for leadership roles and the need to create safe, inclusive workplaces and underscored the potential of sectors like STEM, entrepreneurship and startups for women's further involvement.

“The ministry of labour and employment has identified key action areas critical to enhancing women’s workforce participation under its mandate. Expanding affordable and quality care services was recognised as a labour market enabler, emphasising the need to integrate care policies into employment frameworks to support working women. The alignment of skilling initiatives with industry demand was highlighted as essential to ensuring women’s access to high-growth sectors,” she said.