The Rural-Urban Divide In Female Labour Force Participation, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• The overall Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) for individuals aged 15 years and above in India increased from 30% in 2019-20 to 40% in 2025.
• This significant rise was primarily driven by rural areas, where the FLFPR surged from 33% to 45.9%.
• In contrast, urban areas saw a more modest increase in FLFPR, from 23.3% to 27.7% during the same period.
• The data is based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025.

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Detailed Insights:

• The increase in rural FLFPR was more pronounced, showing a substantial rural-urban divide in labour force participation trends.
• States like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Haryana recorded an Average Annual Percentage Point (AAPP) change in rural FLFPR above the all-India rural average.
• Conversely, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, and the five southern States showed AAPP below the national rural average, though most still registered positive annual changes.
• In urban areas, Rajasthan and Gujarat demonstrated particularly strong improvements with AAPP above 2 percentage points per year.
• Uttarakhand, Keralam, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh also recorded urban AAPP above the all-India urban average.
• The analysis highlights that AAPP alone is insufficient, as a state with a lower AAPP might already have a relatively high FLFPR.
• Some states, like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Haryana, started with low rural FLFPR but showed faster improvement with above-average AAPP.
• Other states, such as Odisha, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, started with higher baseline rural FLFPR and continued to show rapid gains with above-average AAPP.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR): The proportion of women in a specified age group (typically 15 years and above) who are either employed or actively seeking work.
• Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS): India's official survey conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to measure employment and unemployment data.
• Average Annual Percentage Point (AAPP): A measure indicating the average yearly change in percentage points of a particular indicator over a defined period.