The Complex Relationship Between Education And Female Labour: The Curious Case Of India

It is widely believed that improvement in education access leads to better employment statistics. India has defied this basic assumption when it comes to its Female Labour Participation Ratio. Despite the increase in education access across India, why has there not been a proportional increase of women in the labour market participation ratio. Though the Indian government claims to have taken active steps towards a safer and more inclusive environment for women through empowerment schemes and improving education access to girls and women, the data regarding the number of females in the workforce speaks otherwise. In 2024, only 36 percent of the labour force are women, and it is showing even further decline in some pockets. This research analyses the reasons for the astounding inverse relationship between education advancements in terms of accessibility and women’s participation rate. It also touches upon the ground impact of key policy decisions taken by the government in this regard.