With a page out of China book, TN maintains lead in share of women workers, Pg3

Key Highlights:

• Tamil Nadu leads in female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) among major Indian cities, with Coimbatore at 41.3% and Madurai at 37%, significantly above the urban India average of 27.7%.
• The state's share of women employed in the manufacture of computers, electronics, and optical products grew from 20% to 43% between 2013-14 and 2023-24.
• Tamil Nadu accounted for nearly half (14,814 out of 34,531) of all women directly employed in the country's electronics manufacturing sector in 2023-24.
• The state's success is attributed to its focus on providing housing as economic infrastructure, through initiatives like SIPCOT industrial housing and Thozhi hostels.

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Detailed Insights:

• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) report highlights Tamil Nadu's strong performance in female LFPR in its major cities.
• Surat, Gujarat, also shows a high female LFPR at 40.6%, but its share of women in electronics manufacturing remained stagnant.
• States like Maharashtra and Karnataka saw declines in women's employment in electronics manufacturing during the same period.
• Tamil Nadu has largely maintained its lead in the percentage of all women directly employed in Indian factories, with a slight decline from 43% to 40% between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
• A women-only residential complex by SIPCOT and Foxconn in Sriperumbudur, costing Rs 706.5 crore, can house 18,720 workers.
• Recent investments in Tamil Nadu include a Rs 15,000-crore agreement with Vikram Solar and a Rs 1,000-crore MoU with Hitachi.
• The Tamil Nadu Working Women's Hostels Corporation offers industrial housing and Thozhi hostels, which are smaller, high-quality facilities.
• A December 2024 paper by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) noted that almost half of India's working women hostels are in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• While wages in Tamil Nadu cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai are lower than the national average, the wage growth rate in the state (83%) is more than double the all-India average (36%) between 2013-14 and 2023-24.
• The practice of providing dormitories for women workers to boost manufacturing is modeled after China's approach to its migrant workforce.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): The percentage of the working-age population that is either employed or actively seeking employment.
• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI): The nodal agency for statistical activities and program implementation in India.
• State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT): A government agency in Tamil Nadu responsible for promoting industrial development by providing infrastructure.
• Thozhi hostels: A model of smaller, high-quality residential facilities for working women in Tamil Nadu, managed by the Tamil Nadu Working Women's Hostels Corporation.