A low female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) has been the focus of the bulk of the discussion around women’s empowerment. According to the Economic Survey 2023-24, against a world average of 47.8% (2022), the FLFPR in India was 37% (2022-23). Although it increased from 23.3% in 2017-18, 37.5% of this share comprises “unpaid helpers in household enterprises”, that is, women who are not paid for the work they do, which is separate from domestic work.
Women’s active participation in the economy is crucial for reducing gender inequality. A key reason for women’s low economic participation is the disproportionately high burden of care that they shoulder within the family. This ranges from childcare to the care of other household members, including the elderly, sick, and disabled. Added to these care responsibilities is other domestic work. In India, women aged 15-64 years spend about three times more time daily than men on unpaid domestic work.
Related Stories
Focus on female employment to counter unemployment
Falling percentages, failing work conditions: A deeper look into women’s employment in India
What is the outlook on women’s employment? | Explained
The determinant in more women in the job market
Fall and rise in women’s work participation
Women, marriage and labour market participation
Responding to childcare needs
To increase women’s participation in the labour force, attention is now being paid to childcare. Some State governments have focused on building support services through the existing Anganwadi network. In the 2024-25 Budget, there has been a 3% increase in the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s budget for the integrated childcare and nutrition programme (Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 scheme). The Ministry has been working towards a policy framework to address the need for childcare. Different models of community-based creches for children are operational in parts of some States, with partnership between government and non-government bodies. It would be worthwhile to review these models for replicability, financial sustainability, and scalability. A more widespread network of creches suitable to the local context and populace is required in rural, tribal, and urban areas to facilitate the participation of women in the workforce.
However, recognising only childcare needs is a limiting perspective. Women are primary caregivers across the life course of household members. Hence, for women to participate in the economy, their care responsibilities need to shift elsewhere. The demand for external support in the form of hired caregivers is rising in urban and peri-urban areas. However, there are no standardised processes for employment of such workers. Domestic workers often double up as caregivers without any training or protection for themselves. There are no minimum wages, employment standards, safety and security measures, and quality standards for care by hired workers.
Related Stories
Offloading responsibilities
To offload women’s care responsibilities, it is crucial to create an ecosystem that responds to the household’s care needs while protecting the rights of care workers. This ecosystem must provide for safe, quality, and affordable care by care workers who are well-trained, earn decent wages, and command dignity and respect for their work.
From the demand side, developing a needs-based assessment of the mix of care services required across age groups, socio-economic status, and geographies would be a first step. A mapping of supply-side actors and institutions must include the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
With demand for care on the rise across a family’s life course, given rising incidence of ill-health and disabilities, the availability and quality of care workers have emerged as a major policy concern. Care workers are hired directly by families or through placement agencies, nursing bureaus, hospitals, home healthcare companies, and not-for-profit organisations, among others. The more organised ones train their workers and have a multidisciplinary team to attend to the varied needs, including specialised nursing, palliative, and end-of-life care at home. However, in the absence of any standards and regulations, the availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality of these services vary across regions.
Need for policy intervention
The gap in the training, skilling, and certification of a mix of care workers required to meet the growing demand needs to be addressed. The Domestic Workers Sector Skill Council (rechristened as the Home Management and Care Givers Sector Skill Council), the Healthcare Sector Skill Council, and the National Skill Development Corporation are the apex bodies involved in the skilling and certification of different cadres of care workers. It is unfortunate that the labour-intensive and emotionally exacting care sector does not command commensurate respect, remuneration, and dignity. This is a crucial area for policy intervention.
The World Economic Forum’s report on the ‘Future of Care Economy’ highlights three perspectives. The first is seeing the care economy as an engine for increasing economic productivity. The second is from a business perspective: organisations can relate to the care economy as investors and employers. The third is from a human rights perspective that focuses on gender equality and disability inclusion.
We need a comprehensive policy that defines the care ecosystem from a life course perspective. A committee of the Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, Labour and Employment, Social Justice and Empowerment, and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship would be ideal to initiate the process.
Rama V. Baru is a retired Professor of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Pallavi Gupta is Specialist, Health Systems Governance, Health Systems Transformation Platform, New Delhi
