""Discusses the role of women workers who are joining the workforce in the cityscape and bringing to surface the contradictions that this assumption offers"--Provided by publisher"--

This paper examines the determinants of female labor force participation in India, against the backdrop of India having one of the lowest participation rates for women among peer countries. Using extensive Indian household survey data, we model the labor force participation choices of women, conditional on demographic characteristics and education, as well as looking at the influence of state-level labor market flexibility and other state policies. Our main finding is that a number of policy initiatives can help boost female economic participation in the states of India, including increased labor market flexibility, investment in infrastructure, and enhanced social spending.

Female labour has been an important segment of the workforce of India. With the changing socio-economic scenario, women's productive roles have assumed new dimensions. The observance of the International Women's Year in the last quarter of the 20th century, was a historic landmark in the calendar of women's progress. Frankly speaking, it was in recognition of crucial importance and need that women's participation has always been necessary for the success of social and economic development. Over the years, the main objective of the policies of the Government of India with regard to female labour has been to remove the handicaps under which they work, to strengthen their bargaining capacity, to improve their wages and working conditions, to augment their skills and to open up better employment facilities for them.

The studies assembled in this volume are aimed at analysing the structure of women's labour force participation in India

Extrait de la couverture : "Rural areas and women are the two separate important areas in developmental perspectives. A special feature of this book ... is that it covers both in an interrelated context in the same volume. The role of rural women workforce in process of rural transformations is the focal theme of the book. The content of the book covers different dimensions viz., demigraphic profile of women workforce in India, occupational dynamics and employement avenues of women and other gender issues related to the theme. What makes the book more meaningful and readable are the ways in which the author suggests integration of rural women workforce in development process. The scope of the book is not limited only to a focus on factors keeping role of rural women at low ebb till recently rather it discusses how the role of rural women in rural transformation may be made more and more important."

This book examines the drivers of, and barriers to, participation of women in the Asian labour market for its socio-economic development and structural transformation. Based on original comparative research and extensive fieldwork, Transformation of Women at Work in Asia highlights the commonalities as well as the diverse nature of challenges that women across Asia face in gaining access to more and better jobs. Findings show that women across the continent have contributed significantly to its spectacular growth story; yet, social norms and economic factors limit their levels of participation. The book calls for a comprehensive approach to improve opportunities for women's participation in the labour market as well as for the freedom to engage in paid employment. This will, in turn, contribute to a more inclusive growth process. It addresses important challenges faced by women workers and provides policy options for governments to promote decent work opportunities for women across social strata.