Increased participation: Women at work

While the participation of women in labour force has increased in industrialised countries, Latin America and other developing nations, participation rates have declined in India, China and Russia. This is according to data made available by the Commission on Growth and Development’s Growth Report. However, the report has failed to determine the reasons behind these declining trends.

The decline may be explained by the upward trends in school enrollment, to the extent that participation in labour comes from girls who should otherwise be enrolled. Another explanation is inelastic labour demand for women for a variety of socio-cultural reasons.

Estimates on women in the labour force are lower that those of men and are not comparable internationally. Demographic, social, legal and cultural trends and norms determine whether a woman’s activities are regarded as economic. In many countries, large number of women work on farms or in family enterprises without pay. Countries differ in the criteria used to determine whether such workers should be counted as part of the labour force.