More women work but in informal and less secure jobs

The rise in women’s workforce participation in India is now well-documented. Yet, it conceals a less encouraging reality — men and women are experiencing India’s structural transformation very differently.Between 2017-18 and 2025, the number of working women nearly doubled, from 104 million to 201 million, and the female worker population ratio rose from 22% to 38%. But most of the increase has come from rural India, largely in agriculture and in own-account and unpaid family work on farms and in household enterprises. Published - November 13, 2026 08:00 am IST