What explains the stagnation of female labor force participation in urban India?

Female labor force participation rates in urban India between 1987 and 2011 are surprisingly low and have stagnated since the late 1980s. Despite rising growth, fertility decline, and rising wage and education levels, married women's labor force participation hovered around 18 percent. Analysis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The World Bank economic review 2015-01, Vol.29 (3), p.449-478
Main Authors: Klasen, Stephan, Pieters, Janneke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ballungsraum
Bildungsniveau
Development Economics
Development Economics Group
EDUCATION
Employment
Erwerbstätigkeit
Female employees
FEMALE LABOR FORCE
Females
Fertility
Fertility decline
Frau
Indien
Labor economics
Labor force
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
Leerstoelgroep Ontwikkelingseconomie
Ontwikkelingseconomie
Stagnation
Studies
Supply & demand
Urban areas
WASS
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Summary:Female labor force participation rates in urban India between 1987 and 2011 are surprisingly low and have stagnated since the late 1980s. Despite rising growth, fertility decline, and rising wage and education levels, married women's labor force participation hovered around 18 percent. Analysis of five large cross-sectional micro surveys shows that a combination of supply and demand effects have contributed to this stagnation. The main supply side factors are rising household incomes and husband's education as well as the falling selectivity of highly educated women. On the demand side, the sectors that draw in female workers have expanded least, so that changes in the sectoral structure of employment alone would have actually led to declining participation rates.
ISSN:1564-698X
0258-6770
1564-698X
DOI:10.1093/wber/lhv003