Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs
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Women are likely to be educated but also likely to receive lower pay than men
Women in Tamil Nadu economy
Women’s participation in the Tamil Nadu economy presents a paradoxical picture. A woman in Tamil Nadu is likely to be educated, to work, and to find work in a modern sector of the economy. But she is also likely to be paid far lower than men for the same work, and experience segregation in the workplace.
While state interventions towards women’s welfare — free transportation and populist schemes — seek to overcome supply side constraints, the decadal fall in female labour participation in the State is driven mainly by the demand side, i.e., a lack of gainful employment.
Tamil Nadu needs to match its supply side interventions by creating employment for women in emerging sectors.
State Intervention And Statistics
In Tamil Nadu, thanks to state interventions and century-old social mobilisation, the share of women in the workforce is higher than the national average and most of the States.
As per the NSSO-PLFS data for 2020-21, women’s participation was about 43% in the State as compared to 32.5% for all of India.
Yet, by international standards, women’s participation in work is low. Women’s participation in the labour force was at its peak (54%) in 1993-94 in the State, but came down to 51% in 2004-05 and has only been declining since then.
It was at its lowest (34%) in 2017-18. It jumped to 43% in 2020-21, but this should not be seen as a necessarily positive development as the increased participation was mainly in agriculture.
This was likely a response to the pandemic-induced distress, which may have drawn more women into the workforce to supplement household incomes.
Modern sectors in Tamil Nadu employ a larger proportion of women workers compared to most States. Women’s participation in service and manufacturing is 58% compared to 39% for Gujarat and Maharashtra and the all-India average of 37%.
This sectoral shift from agriculture for women workers in Tamil Nadu is significant given the larger national trend towards feminisation within agriculture.
About 28% of the women identified as regular workers in total manufacturing in India are located in Tamil Nadu, which is higher compared to other industrialised States such as Maharashtra and Gujarat that constitute 13% and 11% of the total pie.
In organised manufacturing alone, the share of Tamil Nadu women is 43%. In other words, almost half the women working in manufacturing are located in the State. Similarly, about 52% of government employees in Tamil Nadu are women compared to 36% at the national level.
Modern Sector
Modern sectors in Tamil Nadu employ a larger proportion of women workers compared to most States. Women’s participation in service and manufacturing is 58% compared to 39% for Gujarat and Maharashtra and the all-India average of 37%.
This sectoral shift from agriculture for women workers in Tamil Nadu is significant given the larger national trend towards feminisation within agriculture.
About 28% of the women identified as regular workers in total manufacturing in India are located in Tamil Nadu, which is higher compared to other industrialised States such as Maharashtra and Gujarat that constitute 13% and 11% of the total pie.
In organised manufacturing alone, the share of Tamil Nadu women is 43%. In other words, almost half the women working in manufacturing are located in the State. Similarly, about 52% of government employees in Tamil Nadu are women compared to 36% at the national level.
