Key Findings
- Women’s workforce participation increased to 25% in 2024, up from 21.8% in 2019.
- Men’s participation (aged 15-59) also rose to 75% from 70.9% in the same period.
- Overall, employment-related activity participation increased to 49.9% in 2024 from 46.4% in 2019.
- Despite these gains, women continue to shoulder unpaid domestic and caregiving responsibilities disproportionately.
Gender Gap in Unpaid Work
- 92.9% of women participated in unpaid domestic services, compared to 30.4% of men.
- Women spent 305 minutes per day on such activities, while men spent only 86 minutes.
- Unpaid caregiving: Women devoted 140 minutes daily, nearly double the 74 minutes spent by men.
Youth Workforce Trends (15-29 Age Group)
- Overall employment participation: Rose to 35.3% in 2024, from 34.1% in 2019.
- Male youth participation: 56.3%
- Female youth participation: 14.9%
- Time spent on unpaid domestic work:
- Young women: 280 minutes/day
- Young men: 87 minutes/day
Education Trends
- Children (6-14 years) engaged in formal learning:
- Rural areas: 71.6%
- Urban areas: 68.8%
Analysis & Implications
- Improving Women’s Workforce Participation
- A 3.2 percentage point rise in women’s employment participation signals progress but remains below global averages.
- Factors such as economic growth, government policies, and flexible work models likely contributed to this increase.
- Persistent Gender Disparities in Unpaid Work
- Women continue to spend significantly more time on domestic chores and caregiving, limiting their participation in the formal economy.
- The 10-minute reduction in daily unpaid domestic work since 2019 suggests a slow but positive shift.
- Youth Workforce Participation: Slow Progress for Women
- While male participation in employment remains high, women’s participation at 14.9% remains concerningly low.
- Addressing educational skilling, social norms, and workplace inclusivity is crucial to improve women’s economic engagement.
- Education Access & Workforce Readiness
- The high participation of children in formal education is a positive indicator for future workforce readiness.
- However, the rural-urban gap in educational participation suggests disparities in access and quality of education.
The report highlights a steady rise in workforce participation for both men and women, yet deep-rooted gender imbalances pe
