Why Do Urban Indian Women Suffer Higher Unemployment Than Men?
Rahul Menon
Why Do Urban Indian Women Suffer Higher Unemployment Than Men? Economic and Political Weekly Vol.59; No.20 18 May 2024 pp. 49-58
The existence of a positive gender unemployment gap in urban India is examined. Urban Indian women experience higher unemployment rates than men despite lower labour force participation rates, with the gap rising over time. Regression estimates show the presence of heightened unemployment risks for women even after controlling for demographic characteristics. Differences in demographic characteristics explain little to none of the unemployment gap, speaking to the presence of extensive discrimination in labour markets. The one demographic characteristic that impacts unemployment is higher education, with rising educational attainment of women contributing to a rising unemployment gap between 2011–12 and 2022–23. The burden of unemployment is faced largely by young, highly educated women, a cohort already experiencing significant constraints in the urban Indian labour market.
Economics
India
Unemployment
Urban women
Gender descrimination
Why Do Urban Indian Women Suffer Higher Unemployment Than Men? Economic and Political Weekly Vol.59; No.20 18 May 2024 pp. 49-58
The existence of a positive gender unemployment gap in urban India is examined. Urban Indian women experience higher unemployment rates than men despite lower labour force participation rates, with the gap rising over time. Regression estimates show the presence of heightened unemployment risks for women even after controlling for demographic characteristics. Differences in demographic characteristics explain little to none of the unemployment gap, speaking to the presence of extensive discrimination in labour markets. The one demographic characteristic that impacts unemployment is higher education, with rising educational attainment of women contributing to a rising unemployment gap between 2011–12 and 2022–23. The burden of unemployment is faced largely by young, highly educated women, a cohort already experiencing significant constraints in the urban Indian labour market.
Economics
India
Unemployment
Urban women
Gender descrimination