Research

Women in the Workforce – India: Quick Take

Nov 14, 2019

POPULATION

By 2050, India Will Be the Most Populous Country in the World 1

In July 2018, 1,296,834,042 people lived in India.2

But by 2050, India’s population will increase by 323 million (to 1.67 billion total people), the largest population increase of any country.3

The gender population gap starts at birth. For every 100 boys born nationally, 93 girls are born.4

  • Women constitute 48.1% of the population.5
  • In 2018, there were 49,392,654 fewer women than men across India.6
India’s Demographic Skews Young

India has a large youth population with a median age of 28.1 years old7 (compared to 38.2 years old in the United States).8

  • Almost one-third (27%) of India’s population is younger than 15 years old.9
  • Only 6.4% of India’s population is older than 65.10

DIVERSITY

India’s Complex Culture is Illustrated in its Diverse Religions and Languages 11
  • The Caste System (Jati) goes back thousands of years and continues to influence access to some jobs. 12
  • The constitution has outlawed caste discrimination for employment and access to education, but not the caste system itself.13
Religions of India (2011 est)

EDUCATION

Women Are Closing the Higher Education Gap14

Among graduates in 2018-2019, women represented:

  • Undergraduate degrees: 53%15
  • Phil. degrees: 69.6%16
  • PhDs: 41.8%17

LABOR FORCE

The Labor Force Participation Rate for Women Is Declining18

Despite rapid economic growth,19 less than a quarter (23.6%) of women aged 15 and above participated in the labor force in 201820 (compared to 78.6% of men).21

  • India’s low labor force participation rate for women is due in part to an increase in women continuing their education, the availability of flexible scheduling and the proximity of work locations.22
  • Rural women are leaving India’s workforce at a faster rate than urban women.23
  • Young women are moving into non-traditional professional jobs, for example in communications.24
    • However, in 2018 only 26% of surveyed companies had hired women in the top-five job roles in the past five years.25

Increasing women’s labor force participation by 10 percentage points could add $770 billion to India’s GDP by 2025.26

Reaching gender parity would have a bigger impact in India than in any other region in the world.27

India’s youthful demographic will add 234 million workers to the labor force by 2027.28

India’s Labor Force Will Soon Become the Largest in the World29

By 2027 the working-age population in India will be almost 20% (18.6%) of the entire global labor force.30

PAY GAP

The Gender Pay Gap Is Slowly Shrinking in India31

Women earn 65% of what their male colleagues earn for performing the same work.32

LEADERSHIP

The Pipeline for Women Starts Small and Continues to Shrink33

Of India’s 158 largest companies:

  • Women hold only 15% of the board seats.34
  • Only 6% of board chairs are women.35

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Full list of Quick Takes.

Terri Chapman and Vidisha Mishra, Rewriting the Rules: Women and Work in India (Observer Research Foundation, January 2019).

Aarti Shyamsunder, Alixandra Pollack, and Dnika J. Travis, India Inc: From Intention to Impact (Catalyst, 2015).

Aarti Shyamsunder and Nancy M. Carter, High Potentials Under High Pressure in India’s Technology Sector  (Catalyst, 2014).

Laura Sabattini, Expanding Work-Life Perspectives: Talent Management in India (Catalyst, 2012).

 

How to cite this product: Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce – India (November 14, 2019).

 

  1. Population Reference Bureau, 2019 World Population Data Sheet (2019).
  2. CIA, “India,” The World Factbook (2019).
  3. Population Reference Bureau, “2017 World Population Data Sheet With Focus on Youth” (2017).
  4. World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report 2018 (2018).
  5. CIA, “India,” The World Factbook (2019).
  6. CIA, “India,” The World Factbook (2019).
  7. CIA, “India,” The World Factbook (2019).
  8. CIA, “United States,” The World Factbook (2019).
  9. CIA, “India,” The World Factbook (2019).
  10. CIA, “India,” The World Factbook (2019).
  11. R. Champakalakshmi, Romila Thapar, Philip B. Calkins, Frank Raymond Allchin, T.G. Percival Spear, and Stanley A. Wolpert, “India,” Encyclopedia Britannica (October 30, 2019).
  12. “What is India’s Caste System?,” BBC News, June 19, 2019.
  13. “What is India’s Caste System?,” BBC News, June 19, 2019.
  14. Manash Pratim Gohain, “Gender Gap Narrowing in Higher Education: HRD Survey,” The Times of India, January 8, 2018.
  15. Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, “Table 35: Out-Turn/Pass-Out at Under Graduate Level in Major Disciplines/Subjects (Based on Actual Response),” All India Survey on Higher Education 2017-18 (2018).
  16. Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, “Table 36: Out-Turn/Pass-Out at Ph.D., M.Phil. & Post Graduate Level in Major Disciplines/Subjects (Based on Actual Response),” All India Survey on Higher Education 2017-18 (2018).
  17. Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, “Table 36: Out-Turn/Pass-Out at Ph.D., M.Phil. & Post Graduate Level in Major Disciplines/Subjects (Based on Actual Response),” All India Survey on Higher Education 2017-18 (2018).
  18. World Bank Group, “Labor Force Participation Rate, Female (% of Female Population Ages 15+) (Modeled ILO Estimate), India” (September 2019).
  19. “The Missing 235m: Why India Needs Women to Work,” The Economist, July 5, 2018.
  20. World Bank Group, “Labor Force Participation Rate, Female (% of Female Population Ages 15+) (Modeled ILO Estimate), India” (September 2019).
  21. World Bank Group, “Labor Force Participation Rate, Male (% of Male Population Ages 15+) (Modeled ILO Estimate), India” (September 2019).
  22. “50% India’s Working-Age Population Out of Labour Force, Says Report,” The India Times, February 4, 2019.
  23. Prachi Salve, “Why Rural Women Are Falling Out Of India’s Workforce At Faster Rates Than Urban Women, India Spend,” India Spend (2019).
  24. International Labor Organization, Global Employment Trends for Youth 2017: Paths to a Better Working Future (November 20, 2017): p. 45.
  25. Terri Chapman, Samir Saran, Rakesh Sinha, Suchi Kedia, and Sriram Gutta, The Future of Work in India: Inclusion, Growth and Transformation (The World Economic Forum and Observer Research Foundation, October 2018): p. 49.
  26. Jonathan Woetzel, Anu Madgavkar, Kevin Sneader, Oliver Tonby, Diaan-Yi Lin, John Lydon, Sha Sha, Mekala Krishnan, Kweilin Ellingrud, and Michael Gubieski, The Power of Parity: Advancing Women’s Equality in Asia Pacific McKinsey (2018).
  27. Jonathan Woetzel, Anu Madgavkar, Kevin Sneader, Oliver Tonby, Diaan-Yi Lin, John Lydon, Sha Sha, Mekala Krishnan, Kweilin Ellingrud, and Michael Gubieski, The Power of Parity: Advancing Women’s Equality in Asia Pacific McKinsey (2018).
  28. Vincent Del Giudice and Wei Lu, “India Seen Topping Global Labor Force In Next Decade, Data Show,” Bloomberg, August 31, 2017.
  29. Vincent Del Giudice and Wei Lu, “India Seen Topping Global Labor Force In Next Decade, Data Show,” Bloomberg, August 31, 2017.
  30. Vincent Del Giudice and Wei Lu, “India Seen Topping Global Labor Force In Next Decade, Data Show,” Bloomberg, August 31, 2017.
  31. Avishek Rakshit, “Gender Pay Inequality Decreases by Only a Per Cent in 2018: Monster India,” Business Standard, March 7, 2019.
  32. World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report 2018 (2018).
  33. Aarti Shyamsunder, Alixandra Pollack, and Dnika J. Travis, India Inc.: From Intention to Impact (Catalyst, 2015).
  34. Aon, OnBoard (2019).
  35. Aon, OnBoard (2019).