Factors Influencing Female Workforce Participation in Urban India: A Case Study

Abstract

Is urban womens workforce participation primarily dependent on family responsibilities and vocational skills? Do they prefer government jobs over private jobs ? To find the plausible answers to these research questions, a primary survey on 210 urban women from different metropolitan cities in India was carried out. The study finds that :(1) around 85% urban women prefer government jobs to other types of employment for maintaining the work life balance; (2) marriage and other family responsibilities significantly lowers urban womens likelihood of working and (3) there exists an u shaped relationship between education level and workforce participation , and finally, (4) despite this relationships, professional degree and vocational skills significantly improves urban womens probability to join the workforce. The study suggests that urban women should be given greater opportunities for acquiring professional and vocational skills. KEYWORDS: India, gender, female workforce participation, urban women, education