How many literate men
and women are
employed? How many
women are housewives?
Answers
y 2050, India Will Be the Most Populous Country in the World 1
In July 2018, 1,296,834,042 people lived in India.2
But by 2050, India’s population will increase by 323 million (to 1.67 billion total people), the largest population increase of any country.3
The gender population gap starts at birth. For every 100 boys born nationally, 93 girls are born.4
Women constitute 48.1% of the population.5
In 2018, there were 49,392,654 fewer women than men across India.6
India’s Demographic Skews Young
India has a large youth population with a median age of 28.1 years old7 (compared to 38.2 years old in the United States).8
Almost one-third (27%) of India’s population is younger than 15 years old.9
Only 6.4% of India’s population is older than 65.10
DIVERSITY
India’s Complex Culture is Illustrated in its Diverse Religions and Languages 11
The Caste System (Jati) goes back thousands of years and continues to influence access to some jobs. 12
The constitution has outlawed caste discrimination for employment and access to education, but not the caste system itself.13
Religions of India (2011 est)
EDUCATION
Women Are Closing the Higher Education Gap14
Among graduates in 2018-2019, women represented:
Undergraduate degrees: 53%15
Phil. degrees: 69.6%16
PhDs: 41.8%17
LABOR FORCE
The Labor Force Participation Rate for Women Is Declining18
Despite rapid economic growth,19 less than a quarter (23.6%) of women aged 15 and above participated in the labor force in 201820 (compared to 78.6% of men).21
India’s low labor force participation rate for women is due in part to an increase in women continuing their education, the availability of flexible scheduling and the proximity of work locations.22
Rural women are leaving India’s workforce at a faster rate than urban women.23
Young women are moving into non-traditional professional jobs, for example in communications.24
However, in 2018 only 26% of surveyed companies had hired women in the top-five job roles in the past five years.25
Increasing women’s labor force participation by 10 percentage points could add $770 billion to India’s GDP by 2025.26
Reaching gender parity would have a bigger impact in India than in any other region in the world.27
India’s youthful demographic will add 234 million workers to the labor force by 2027.28
India’s Labor Force Will Soon Become the Largest in the World29
By 2027 the working-age population in India will be almost 20% (18.6%) of the entire global labor force.30
PAY GAP
The Gender Pay Gap Is Slowly Shrinking in India31
Women earn 65% of what their male colleagues earn for performing the same work.32
LEADERSHIP
The Pipeline for Women Starts Small and Continues to Shrink33
Of India’s 158 largest companies:
Women hold only 15% of the board seats.34
Only 6% of board chairs are women.35
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Full list of Quick Takes.
Terri Chapman and Vidisha Mishra, Rewriting the Rules: Women and Work in India (Observer Research Foundation, January 2019).
Aarti Shyamsunder, Alixandra Pollack, and Dnika J. Travis, India Inc: From Intention to Impact (Catalyst, 2015).
Aarti Shyamsunder and Nancy M. Carter, High Potentials Under High Pressure in India’s Technology Sector (Catalyst, 2014).
Laura Sabattini, Expanding Work-Life Perspectives: Talent Management in India (Catalyst, 2012).
How to cite this product: Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce – India (November 14, 2019).
The world id changing, many women are going to jobs, and many are still housewives.