Can Agricultural Growth Generate Higher Employment for Rural Women in India? : Debunking a Persistent Myth

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) indicates a substantial increase in female employment from 2017-18 to 2022-23, with a notable increase in female labour force participation rate in rural areas from 24.6% to 41.5%. The present paper challenges the claim that the recent increase is due to high growth in agriculture and improved amenities in rural areas. Analysing the trends in agricultural labour requirements, employment patterns, and wages, the paper finds a decline in labour needs in agriculture, a rise in unpaid family labour, and stagnant wages. These trends suggest that the recent FLFPR is likely to be driven by rural distress rather than higher agricultural growth or better economic conditions. The findings underscore the limitation of relying on the agricultural sector as a panacea to employment generation among women.