Understanding Women’s Work in India, 1983–2024

India’s female labour force participation has fallen sharply over the long term but rose sharply since 2018, with women driving most of the recent labour force and employment growth, especially in rural areas. This recovery is concentrated in self-employment and unpaid family work, largely in low-paid, informal agricultural and own-account activities. Women remain crowded into low-skill, low-wage jobs, face large gender wage gaps, and are underrepresented in better-paid formal and organised work. Educated young women experience high unemployment and NEET (not in education, employment or training) rates, reflecting weak demand for their skills. The paper analyses these patterns and discusses implications for growth and employment policy.