India witnessed a significant rise in women's participation in the labour force

Current Context: India witnessed a significant rise in women's participation in the labour force between 2017-18 and 2022-23.

• The report detailing this rise is titled "Female Labour Force Participation Rate: An Observational Analysis of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) from 2017-18 to 2022-23".
• The report was released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) on December 11, 2024.
• It was authored by Dr. Shamika Ravi and Dr. Mudit Kapoor.
• The report highlights several key findings:
• Rural female labour force participation rate (LFPR) surged from 24.6% to 41.5%.
• Urban female LFPR rose modestly from 20.4% to 25.4%.
• Government schemes like Mudra loans, Drone Didi programme, and self-help groups (SHGs) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana played a significant role in this increase.
• There were notable variations across states, with rural areas in Jharkhand and Bihar experiencing substantial growth.
• The report also discusses how factors like age, marital status, and household composition influence women's participation in the workforce.

Question:

1 What was the rural female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in 2022-23, according to the report titled "Female Labour Force Participation Rate: An Observational Analysis of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) from 2017-18 to 2022-23"?

• A) 24.6%
• B) 41.5%
• C) 35.2%
• D) 20.4%

Answer: B) The rural female labour force participation rate (LFPR) witnessed a significant rise from 24.6% in 2017-18 to 41.5% in 2022-23, indicating substantial growth in women's workforce participation in rural areas.