Unpaid domestic work is an important aspect of productive activities and an indispensable factor that contributes to the well-being of household and economy. However, the predominance of women in domestic work and keeping them out of ‘economic activities’ put unpaid domestic work under the shadow of invisibility, outside the production boundaries, and further outside the purview of economic policy. The nature of women’s work has endured substantial alterations during the neo-liberal paradigm of Indian economy, and women’s participation in the labor force and workforce has declined significantly. To understand the status of women in the labor market, it is necessary to comprehend the nature of their unpaid work, which has significant impact on their work participation rate in the economy. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the magnitude and factors that influence the unpaid domestic work status of women in India. The findings of this study reveal that the intensity to be engaged in domestic work is high among women who are less educated and belong to the lower wealth quintile in society. Women are engaged in unpaid domestic work because of three factors—Constraints (social and religious), Choices (failure of market and states to provide essential provisioning), and Career (low opportunity cost of unpaid work in the market). Therefore, a holistical approach within the broader context of household, state, market, and society through a macro, meso, and micro interconnects has to be considered for changing women’s status in the economy.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the dynamics of women labor considering their unpaid work status. The intention is to understand the precise meaning of unpaid work and its magnitudes and trends in India. This study explores the causes of women to be engaged in unpaid work and the reason behind the non-reduction of unpaid labor as prophesied by the standard theories of economic development. Furthermore, this study aims to examine the nexus of the work status of women and its impact on poverty to give possible recommendations for promoting faster and more inclusive growth of the Indian economy. Design/methodology/approach For addressing the above-mentioned issues, this study has used the data of 50th, 55th, 61st and 68th surveys conducted from 1993–1994 to 2011–2012 by National Sample Survey Office. In the first stage of analysis, the magnitude of unpaid work by women has been estimated. Subsequently, the relative contributions of socio-economic and demographics on the work status of women (paid and unpaid) in India have been assessed by using logistic regression model. In the second stage, the level of poverty among paid and unpaid women has been measured by using poverty estimation methodology. Furthermore, the incidence of poverty among unpaid women has been decomposed, and the contribution of socio-economic predictors has been measured. Findings The study reveals that the participation of women in paid activities has been consistently declined. During the study period, it is observed that the amount of unpaid work activities of women has significantly increased. Moreover, the increase of unpaid activities is more intense for those women who are less educated, marginalized and belong to the poorer household. Originality/value The key contributions of this study are to underpin the issue of low and declining participation of female labor force in India as well as to understand the dynamics of changing work status (paid to unpaid) of females in the neo-liberal development framework. Furthermore, this study explores the consequences of the increase in unpaid work on poverty, which has not been the focus of previous studies.
Despite India’s resurgent growth over the past years, the country seems to have failed miserably on the employment front. The employment content of economic growth—the employment intensity of growth—is on the decline. The objective of the present study is to identify the macroeconomic determinants which influence the employment intensity of growth in India. The study covers data for the period 1993–94 to 2009–10 across 15 major Indian states and applies a panel data model to find out these determinants. The results tend to suggest that labour supply, economic structure, price instability and human capital are major determining factors. Pro-employment growth in India may require measures like diversification of economic activities towards labour-intensive sectors, price stability, skill-based education and adoption of labour-intensive technology. JEL Classification: J21, J23
The pace of industrialization plays a crucial role in the economic growth of any country. It provides high employment opportunities to the labor force, diminishes the cost of production, upsurges the saving, and raises the demand for goods and services in the economy. Furthermore, it helps in relocating surplus labor from the agriculture sector. This study is an attempt to find the states in India wherein the industrial sector generates more jobs. It further unearths the decomposition of industrial output and the regional concentration and dominance of industrial activities in India. To accomplish the objectives, the study utilizes the secondary data collected from the Annual Survey of Industry. The period of the study is from 1980–1981 to 2013–2014, and it encompasses 18 major states in India. The findings of the study suggest that a weak relationship exists between employment and output of the industrial sector for the majority of the states during the study period. The decomposition results show that there exists a large degree of regional disparity in industrial growth across the states, which is mostly driven by labor productivity and not by an increase in the supply of labour. Therefore, in order to boost the industrial sector, the states lagging in industrial development should give more emphasis on state-specific industrial policy to attract more investment and create more infrastructure.
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