Policy Brief
From Rural Fields to Urban Kitchens: Structural Change and the Decline of Women’s Work in India
Key Results
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India’s rural-urban FLFP gap arises from urban women doing less part-time and informal work than rural women, and opting instead for home production or formal jobs.
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Labor market discrimination accounts for the lion’s share of low female participation in urban areas.
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Economic growth isn’t enough: As Indian wages grow, FLFP will likely decline further in the short run. Although the trend will reverse at some point, future gains in FLFP will be modest and accrue slowly.
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To boost FLFP, changes in gendered institutional norms and reductions in labor market discrimination are needed.