In a rural area, what is the 2 points
female worker's
participation rate?
O
Lower in a rural area
O
Higher in a rural areas
O Higher in urban areas
O Lower in both the areas
Answers
Answer:
Trends in female labour force participation
Female labour force2 participation is a driver of growth and
therefore, participation rates indicate the potential for a country to
grow more rapidly. However, the relationship between women’s
engagement in the labour market and broader development
outcomes is complex.
The participation of women in the labour force varies considerably
across developing countries and emerging economies, far more than
in the case of men. In the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia,
less than one-third of women of working-age participate, while the
proportion reaches around two-thirds in East Asia and sub-Saharan
Africa. This variation is driven by a wide variety of economic and
social factors including economic growth, increasing educational
attainment, falling fertility rates and social norms. Besides labour
market gender gaps are more pronounced in developing countries,
and disparity is highest in South Asian countries.
Figure 1: Trends in female labour force participation rates in
South Asia (per cent) (various years)
Source: Based on data from National Statistical Offices
Notes: Sri Lanka - 10+, excluding North and Eastern provinces
The rate of female labour force participation in South Asia was just
30.5 per cent in 2013, while the rate for men was 80.7 per cent.
Considerable diversity in the female participation rates can be
observed in the region (Figure 1) and historical gender roles, spaces
and stereotypes continue to affect outcomes.
The longer term trends suggest that women have increased their
participation in Bangladesh, which is due to the growth of the
readymade garment sector and an increase in rural female
employment, mainly on account of the spread of micro-credit. Apart
from Nepal, where the participation rate for women reached 79.4 per
cent in 2010-11 (not shown on Figure 2) and the Maldives (54 per
cent in 2009-10), Bangladesh now has the highest rate in the region.
The rate has also increased in Pakistan, albeit from a very low
starting point, and is particularly low in the urban areas, while
participation has remained relatively stable in Sri Lanka, though the
latter has witnessed robust economic growth and strong
improvements in social indicators in recent years.
Most notable is the falling engagement of women in the Indian
labour force, which occurred despite strong economic growth and
rising wages and incomes.
Falling labour force participation of women in India
Longer term trends suggest that female labour force participation
rates in India have been puzzling. Female participation rates declined
from 34.1 per cent in 1999-00 to 27.2 per cent in 2011-12, and wide
gender differences in participation rate also persists.
Also there are considerable variations between urban and rural
areas. The participation rate of rural women decreased from 26.5 per
cent in 2009-10 to 25.3 per cent in 2011-12 (usual status definition),
while the rate for urban women increased from 14.6 per cent to 15.5
per cent over the same period.
Figure 2: Falling labour force participation rate among
women, (per cent) (Usual status, all ages)
Source: National Sample Survey, various rounds.
Evidence from the 68th Round indicates no overall reversal in the
female labour force participation rate, which is estimated to be 22.5
per cent (for all ages), a further slump from the 23.3 per cent
reported in 2009-10. In this regard, the female labour force
participation rate in rural areas is showing a continuous declining
trend, while it reported an increase in the urban areas. The latest
data from 2011-12 also reveals that fewer women in rural areas are
working; however, if they are working, they are more likely to be in