Recent data on higher education enrolment in the country showed that there were more women than men from the Muslim community in undergraduate courses (AISHE 2021). Out of 1,000 Muslim students in higher education, 503 are women. While the steady equalising of Muslim women and men in education should be lauded, we must realise it is against the background of an absolute decrease of Muslims in higher education.
The number of students from the community in higher education decreased to 19.21 lakh (4.6 per cent) in 2020-21 from 21 lakh (5.5 per cent) in 2019-20. Furthermore, while the ratio of women to men in education has increased, Muslim women are conspicuously absent from the workforce. This might be due to a lag effect, but it does not mean we can ignore the need for a bridge from education to employment.
Muslim women’s employment status is besieged by secular trends of female employment in the country as well as community-specific trends. The PLFS reports show three disturbing secular trends. One: the female labour force participation (FLFP) rate has stagnated at very low levels in our country. Dhamija et al wrote in The Wire that “29.4 per cent of women (aged 15-59) were part of India’s labour force in 2021-22, as compared to 29.8 per cent in the preceding year.” Two: Women’s employment is seen as supplemental, and a source of income that is only activated in dire times for the family. There was an increase in the FLFP rate during COVID-19, however, Bansal et al have shown that the “probability of women’s employment increased in households that experienced sharp negative income shocks induced by the pandemic-related lockdowns in India.” Three: The share of women employed in unpaid labour has increased even for highly educated women. In 2017-18, 6.2 per cent of women (age 15-59) with graduate (or higher) level of education worked as unpaid helpers. By 2021-22, this share had increased to 11.2 per cent. At the same time, the share of those with this level of education having salaried jobs decreased from 79.7 to 72.1 per cent.’
The PLFS 2021-22 report highlights the importance of studying women’s economic participation in a disaggregated manner. The female labour force participation rate of Muslim women in the country is 15 per cent, as compared to 26.1 per cent for Hindu women. Over the past three years, Muslim women have had the lowest LFP rate amongst all religious groups in the country, while the gender gap in participation has also been the widest for the community – except for the Sikh community. While salaried work is perhaps the more stable source of income, only 12.4 per cent of working Muslim women — the lowest of all communities — are salaried as compared to 16.2 per cent of Hindu women.
India needs more women in the workforce, so that we can increase the size of the economic pie. There are learnings from other South Asian countries like Bangladesh. The FLFP rate for Bangladesh increased from 27 per cent in 1990 to 36 per cent in 2019. Given the low starting point for Muslim women, we can witness tremendous improvements in our FLFP rate by focusing on Muslim women. For this we need to work on three levels.
Our employers need to ensure that while they work on women’s inclusion in the workplace, they also take an intersectional approach. Research shows that Muslim women face significant discrimination in hiring at entry level roles. We must incorporate mechanisms to address unconscious biases in hiring. A 2022 Harvard Business Review article suggested ways to avoid faith stereotyping, to design inclusive networking opportunities and company events, promote cultural awareness, create an inclusive schedule for employees with faith-related needs, and offer compassion and support.
Our government and policy makers need to make those jobs available that women want and create ecosystems that are supportive of employed women. This involves creating space for women from all communities in policy conversations.
Our families and society need to prioritise women’s employment as a means for women to have agency, express themselves, and expand their sources of happiness. The stereotype of men being the sole breadwinner of the family puts a lot of pressure on them. Women can (and should) be brought in to share this burden, while men share the burden of housework.
As we consolidate the gains from our investment in schooling and education, we need to start working towards expanding and sustaining employment of women from all communities.
The writer is a doctor and social entrepreneur who works on professional development of Indian Muslim women
