Publications
Publications
Category
Year
Compendium of best practices
From aspiration to empowerment: Impact of women’s collectives
- July , 2021
- Moumita Sarkar | Kanika Jha Kingra | Seema Bhaskaran
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY NRLM) has adopted a focussed approach towards gender mainstreaming in its programme architecture. This includes establishing institutional mechanisms like Social Action Committees at the village organisation (VO SAC) and cluster federation levels to serve as response mechanisms to various issues that women and girls face, and that continue to act as barriers for them in accessing their rights and entitlements to lead a decent living. These Social Action Committees have shown exemplary leadership in strengthening the gender responsiveness of the programme at the grassroots level, especially during COVID-19. The compendium on best practices titled, From aspiration to empowerment: Impact of women’s collectives, was launched in the presence of Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State, Rural Development, officials from the Ministry of Rural Development and all State Governments through an online event, national webinar on sharing of best practices adopted for addressing gender issues by VO SACs held on June 29, 2021. The compendium of case studies from 23 States highlights the processes, mechanisms, strategies and plans for replicating and scaling gender interventions to advance gender equality and end all forms of discrimination against women and girls. This volume contains inspiring stories of VO-SACs in increasing women’s access to rights and entitlements, and other economic issues like addressing wage disparities between men and women in the village through collective action; addressing issues of drudgery; the labour rights of migrants, prevention of child marriage, increasing girls retention in schools, preventing child abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, witch hunting, human trafficking, and COVID-related gender issues. Broadly, the case studies highlight how VO-SACs have used multiple strategies including restorative justice, collective action, offering support to women (including psycho-social support) and sometimes even engaging with men to address issues that matter to women.
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY NRLM) has adopted a focussed approach towards gender mainstreaming in its programme architecture. This includes establishing institutional mechanisms like Social Action Committees at the village organisation (VO SAC) and cluster federation levels to serve as response mechanisms to various issues that women and girls face, and that continue to act as barriers for them in accessing their rights and entitlements to lead a decent living. These Social Action Committees have shown exemplary leadership in strengthening the gender responsiveness of the programme at the grassroots level, especially during COVID-19. The compendium on best practices titled, From aspiration to empowerment: Impact of women’s collectives, was launched in the presence of Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State, Rural Development, officials from the Ministry of Rural Development and all State Governments through an online event, national webinar on sharing of best practices adopted for addressing gender issues by VO SACs held on June 29, 2021. The compendium of case studies from 23 States highlights the processes, mechanisms, strategies and plans for replicating and scaling gender interventions to advance gender equality and end all forms of discrimination against women and girls. This volume contains inspiring stories of VO-SACs in increasing women’s access to rights and entitlements, and other economic issues like addressing wage disparities between men and women in the village through collective action; addressing issues of drudgery; the labour rights of migrants, prevention of child marriage, increasing girls retention in schools, preventing child abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, witch hunting, human trafficking, and COVID-related gender issues. Broadly, the case studies highlight how VO-SACs have used multiple strategies including restorative justice, collective action, offering support to women (including psycho-social support) and sometimes even engaging with men to address issues that matter to women.
Newsletter (Gender In Focus)
Gender in Focus
- July , 2021
- IWWAGE
Over 90% of India’s workforce is employed informally, comprising 400+ million workers across multiple forms of non-standard work. This informal economy is marked by low earnings, precarious conditions, insecure jobs, and minimal social protection—covering domestic workers, contributing family workers, own-account workers, and contract or temporary workers. COVID-19 has worsened inequalities within this system, with women hit differently and often harder, as they are more concentrated in the most vulnerable and lowest-paid segments of informal work.
Over 90% of India’s workforce is employed informally, comprising 400+ million workers across multiple forms of non-standard work. This informal economy is marked by low earnings, precarious conditions, insecure jobs, and minimal social protection—covering domestic workers, contributing family workers, own-account workers, and contract or temporary workers. COVID-19 has worsened inequalities within this system, with women hit differently and often harder, as they are more concentrated in the most vulnerable and lowest-paid segments of informal work.
Report
From Aspiration to Empowerment: Impact of Women’s Collectives
- June , 2021
- Aasha Ramesh, Kalamani Arumugam, P. Prashanthi
This volume presents case studies of Village Organisation–Social Action Committees (VO-SACs) across states, highlighting their role in addressing complex gender issues at the village level. The stories showcase efforts to improve women’s access to rights, entitlements, property, land ownership, and common resources through collective action. They also cover initiatives on wage parity, reducing drudgery, migrant labour rights, COVID-related gender challenges, and advancing the rights of the girl child, including preventing child marriage, improving school retention, and preventing child abuse.
This volume presents case studies of Village Organisation–Social Action Committees (VO-SACs) across states, highlighting their role in addressing complex gender issues at the village level. The stories showcase efforts to improve women’s access to rights, entitlements, property, land ownership, and common resources through collective action. They also cover initiatives on wage parity, reducing drudgery, migrant labour rights, COVID-related gender challenges, and advancing the rights of the girl child, including preventing child marriage, improving school retention, and preventing child abuse.
Working Paper
Working or Not: What Determines Women’s Labour Force Participation in India?
- May , 2021
- Ruchika Chaudhary
Women’s labour force participation is abysmally low, and persistent gender gaps characterise the Indian labour market. It is alarming to note that women have been continuously dropping out of the labour market since the mid-2000s. Their participation has been declining despite rising GDP, increasing educational attainment, rising household incomes, and declining fertility. Utilising household-level data of Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) (covering the years 2017-18 and 2018-19), and NSSO’s Employment-Unemployment Surveys (EUS) (various rounds completed in 1993-94, 1999-00, 2004-5, 2009-10, 2011-12), this paper provides systematic evidence on the country’s gender gaps in employment and labour market outcomes. This paper tries to unpack the critical aspects of low female labour force participation in rural and urban India. Findings suggest that women have notably lower employment rates than men, even though their enrolment in schools and colleges have risen. U-shaped relationship between education and women’s labour force participation is seen, which is strongly evident in the case of urban women. Women perform a disproportionate amount of unpaid care work and domestic work and face multiple constraints in society, limiting their mobility and labour market choice, forcing them to take non-wage employment or remain out of the labour force. Our findings suggest that policies supporting women’s entry into the labour market, such as vocational and technical skills, can significantly impact increasing their participation and mitigating persistent inequalities in India’s labour market outcomes. The paper underscores the importance of a comprehensive and integrated approach and suggests investing in gender-responsive policies to break down women’s economic engagement barriers.
Women’s labour force participation is abysmally low, and persistent gender gaps characterise the Indian labour market. It is alarming to note that women have been continuously dropping out of the labour market since the mid-2000s. Their participation has been declining despite rising GDP, increasing educational attainment, rising household incomes, and declining fertility. Utilising household-level data of Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) (covering the years 2017-18 and 2018-19), and NSSO’s Employment-Unemployment Surveys (EUS) (various rounds completed in 1993-94, 1999-00, 2004-5, 2009-10, 2011-12), this paper provides systematic evidence on the country’s gender gaps in employment and labour market outcomes. This paper tries to unpack the critical aspects of low female labour force participation in rural and urban India. Findings suggest that women have notably lower employment rates than men, even though their enrolment in schools and colleges have risen. U-shaped relationship between education and women’s labour force participation is seen, which is strongly evident in the case of urban women. Women perform a disproportionate amount of unpaid care work and domestic work and face multiple constraints in society, limiting their mobility and labour market choice, forcing them to take non-wage employment or remain out of the labour force. Our findings suggest that policies supporting women’s entry into the labour market, such as vocational and technical skills, can significantly impact increasing their participation and mitigating persistent inequalities in India’s labour market outcomes. The paper underscores the importance of a comprehensive and integrated approach and suggests investing in gender-responsive policies to break down women’s economic engagement barriers.
Learning note
Women’s Workforce Participation State wise Trends in India
- May , 2021
Madhya Pradesh (MP) is the only state in India to have witnessed a rise in workforce participation rates (WPRs) of women in both rural and urban areas between 2011-12 and 2017-18. The increase in women’s WPR in MP was driven largely by increase in self-employment in the rural areas and regular employment in the urban areas. According to the Periodic Labourforce Survey in 2017-18, more than half of the female workforce in the state is self-employed, with a higher incidence of self-employment in rural areas. While approximately 88 percent of the rural self-employed women in MP are engaged in unpaid work, the share of women in own account enterprises is substantially high in urban MP. The distribution of casual women workers suggests very few women engaged under MGNREGA and other public works as 96 percent women in casual employment were engaged in non-public works, with very little security or guarantee of payment
Madhya Pradesh (MP) is the only state in India to have witnessed a rise in workforce participation rates (WPRs) of women in both rural and urban areas between 2011-12 and 2017-18. The increase in women’s WPR in MP was driven largely by increase in self-employment in the rural areas and regular employment in the urban areas. According to the Periodic Labourforce Survey in 2017-18, more than half of the female workforce in the state is self-employed, with a higher incidence of self-employment in rural areas. While approximately 88 percent of the rural self-employed women in MP are engaged in unpaid work, the share of women in own account enterprises is substantially high in urban MP. The distribution of casual women workers suggests very few women engaged under MGNREGA and other public works as 96 percent women in casual employment were engaged in non-public works, with very little security or guarantee of payment
Working Paper
Intersecting Identities, Livelihoods and Affirmative Action: How Social Identity Affects Economic Opportunity for Women in India
- April , 2021
- Ashwini Deshpande
This paper presents a landscape assessment of the current state of gender inequality in the economic sphere in India, which is a key facet of overall inequality. The assessment comprises the latest empirical evidence based both on demographic survey data, as well as key results from cutting-edge scholarly literature. Male “female gaps are significant in many dimensions, but the contours of these gaps are shaped by the overlap of gender with other social identities, such as caste, religion or tribal identities. Thus, women from stigmatised and marginalised groups are disadvantaged along two dimensions and have to battle the double stigma of this intersectionality. The paper outlines the trends in overall gender gaps in the areas of labour force participation, self-employment and education over the last couple of decades, but highlights the role of intersectionality that goes into producing structures of advantage and disadvantage. The paper discusses policies such as the National Rural Livelihood Mission designed to encourage self-employment, which have had several other positive impacts, such as increase in empowerment and autonomy, but their record in terms of enhancing livelihoods is mixed at best. Evidence shows that policies such as employment guarantee schemes or transport infrastructure could end up having positive gendered effects, despite their gender-blind design. The paper argues that in order to tackle inequality fundamentally, we need to mainstream evidence-based research on intersectionality, which should be the basic lens informing policy.
This paper presents a landscape assessment of the current state of gender inequality in the economic sphere in India, which is a key facet of overall inequality. The assessment comprises the latest empirical evidence based both on demographic survey data, as well as key results from cutting-edge scholarly literature. Male “female gaps are significant in many dimensions, but the contours of these gaps are shaped by the overlap of gender with other social identities, such as caste, religion or tribal identities. Thus, women from stigmatised and marginalised groups are disadvantaged along two dimensions and have to battle the double stigma of this intersectionality. The paper outlines the trends in overall gender gaps in the areas of labour force participation, self-employment and education over the last couple of decades, but highlights the role of intersectionality that goes into producing structures of advantage and disadvantage. The paper discusses policies such as the National Rural Livelihood Mission designed to encourage self-employment, which have had several other positive impacts, such as increase in empowerment and autonomy, but their record in terms of enhancing livelihoods is mixed at best. Evidence shows that policies such as employment guarantee schemes or transport infrastructure could end up having positive gendered effects, despite their gender-blind design. The paper argues that in order to tackle inequality fundamentally, we need to mainstream evidence-based research on intersectionality, which should be the basic lens informing policy.
Factsheet
Trends in Female Labour Force Participation in Andhra Pradesh
- August , 2026
- Arpita Paul, Bidisha Mondal
Andhra Pradesh, traditionally an agriculture-based economy, is increasingly transitioning toward manufacturing and services. This factsheet analyses trends in female labour force participation in Andhra Pradesh between 2022 and 2025 using data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). It examines changes in labour force participation and employment rates, employment status, sectoral and occupational distribution, job quality, and the barriers that continue to influence women’s participation in the labour market.
Andhra Pradesh, traditionally an agriculture-based economy, is increasingly transitioning toward manufacturing and services. This factsheet analyses trends in female labour force participation in Andhra Pradesh between 2022 and 2025 using data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). It examines changes in labour force participation and employment rates, employment status, sectoral and occupational distribution, job quality, and the barriers that continue to influence women’s participation in the labour market.
Factsheet
Trends in Female Labour Force Participation in Jharkhand
- July , 2026
- Vidhi Singh, Bidisha Mondal
Female labour force participation in Jharkhand has historically remained below the national average. Overall, the literature highlights an employment structure characterised by informality, sectoral concentration, and limited diversification, particularly for women. This factsheet examines the evolving patterns of female labour force participation in Jharkhand, focusing on sectoral distribution, employment status, occupational structure, and the structural barriers shaping women’s engagement in the workforce
Female labour force participation in Jharkhand has historically remained below the national average. Overall, the literature highlights an employment structure characterised by informality, sectoral concentration, and limited diversification, particularly for women. This factsheet examines the evolving patterns of female labour force participation in Jharkhand, focusing on sectoral distribution, employment status, occupational structure, and the structural barriers shaping women’s engagement in the workforce
Factsheet
Trend in Female Labour Force Participation in India
- June , 2026
- Vidhi Singh | Bidisha Mondal
India’s labour market continues to show a marked structural imbalance in female workforce participation, even amid sustained economic growth since liberalisation. This factsheet examines recent trends in women’s labour market participation in India, focusing on sectoral distribution, employment status, occupational patterns, and the quality of employment.
India’s labour market continues to show a marked structural imbalance in female workforce participation, even amid sustained economic growth since liberalisation. This factsheet examines recent trends in women’s labour market participation in India, focusing on sectoral distribution, employment status, occupational patterns, and the quality of employment.
SWAYAM
Nayi Chetna 3.0 Assessment Report
- April , 2026
- Surabhi Awasthi | Arpita Paul | Alpaxee Kashyap | Moumita Sarkar
The National Gender Campaign – Nayi Chetna 3.0, implemented under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), represents effort to institutionalise gender equality and address gender-based violence (GBV) through a community-driven, convergent approach. The report highlights the campaign’s scale and innovation- over 13 lakh activities reaching crores of people nationwide alongside new pathways of engagement with adolescents, youth and men and stronger convergence across departments and community institutions.
The National Gender Campaign – Nayi Chetna 3.0, implemented under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), represents effort to institutionalise gender equality and address gender-based violence (GBV) through a community-driven, convergent approach. The report highlights the campaign’s scale and innovation- over 13 lakh activities reaching crores of people nationwide alongside new pathways of engagement with adolescents, youth and men and stronger convergence across departments and community institutions.
Brief
Menstrual and Menopausal Health at Work in India
- February , 2026
- Arundati Muralidharan, Aditi Vyas, Sharati Roy, Vidhi Singh
This policy brief highlights that menstrual and menopausal health are not temporary issues but lifelong realities that significantly affect women’s dignity, wellbeing, and participation in the workforce. Despite rising female labour force participation, workplace support for menstrual and menopausal health remains limited, particularly for women in the informal sector. The brief calls for inclusive workplace policies, stronger social protection, and greater awareness to ensure women can work with dignity and access the support they need throughout their lives.
This policy brief highlights that menstrual and menopausal health are not temporary issues but lifelong realities that significantly affect women’s dignity, wellbeing, and participation in the workforce. Despite rising female labour force participation, workplace support for menstrual and menopausal health remains limited, particularly for women in the informal sector. The brief calls for inclusive workplace policies, stronger social protection, and greater awareness to ensure women can work with dignity and access the support they need throughout their lives.
Brief
Union Budget: 2026-27 What It Means for Women’s Economic Empowerment
- February , 2026
This brief examines the Union Budget 2026–27 in the context of the government’s renewed focus on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE). The Economic Survey (2025–26) highlights persistent structural barriers that limit women’s entry, retention, and advancement in the labour market, including unpaid care responsibilities, skill gaps, limited infrastructure, and barriers to entrepreneurship. The Gender Budget, the government’s key fiscal tool for addressing these challenges, has increased from ₹3.9 lakh crore in 2025–26 (Revised Estimates) to ₹5 lakh crore in 2026–27 (Budget Estimates). The brief analyses how these allocations align with the policy priorities identified in the Economic Survey and assesses whether current spending effectively addresses the demand- and supply-side barriers shaping women’s economic participation.
This brief examines the Union Budget 2026–27 in the context of the government’s renewed focus on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE). The Economic Survey (2025–26) highlights persistent structural barriers that limit women’s entry, retention, and advancement in the labour market, including unpaid care responsibilities, skill gaps, limited infrastructure, and barriers to entrepreneurship. The Gender Budget, the government’s key fiscal tool for addressing these challenges, has increased from ₹3.9 lakh crore in 2025–26 (Revised Estimates) to ₹5 lakh crore in 2026–27 (Budget Estimates). The brief analyses how these allocations align with the policy priorities identified in the Economic Survey and assesses whether current spending effectively addresses the demand- and supply-side barriers shaping women’s economic participation.