——From BBC news 2017.5.26
The numbers are stark - for the first time in India's recent history, not only was there a decline in the female labour participation rate, but also a shrinking of the total number of women in the workforce.
Nearly 20 million Indian women quit work between 2004-05 to 2011-12The labour force participation rate for women of working age declined from 42% in 1993-94 to 31% in 2011-12
Some 53% of the total drop - the largest chunk - happened among women aged 15-24 and living in villages
In rural areas, the female labour force participation rate dropped from 49% to 37.8% between 2004-05 and 2009-10
While more than 24 million men joined the work force between 2004-5 to 2009-10, the number of women in the the work force dropped by 21.7 million
Using data gleaned from successive rounds of National Sample Survey Organisation and census data, a team of researchers from World Bank have attempted to find out why this is happening.
Predictable social norms are attributed to women quitting work in India: marriage, motherhood, vexed gender relations and biases, and patriarchy. The study says there has been a "larger response to income changes among the poor, rather than the wealthy, by sending children to school"."Improved stability in family income can be understood as a disincentive for female household members to join the labour force," says the study.
Clearly women need better and more suitable job opportunities, outside agriculture. Rural labour markets need to offer jobs that are acceptable and attractive to women and their families.
The World Bank study suggests that gains will not be realised unless social norms around women's - and men's - work also change:"Strategies to communicate the importance of women's work should take into account the roles of women, husbands and in-laws."
Also, as another study says, the "ongoing decrease in the availability of farm-based work, has led to women focusing on economic activities within their house。
为何无数印度妇女失业？——BBC news 2017.5.26
下列数据在印度历史上史无前例，不仅体现在妇女劳动参与率的锐减，而且总的妇女劳动人口数量也在持续收缩。
1、 在2004-05至2011-12期间，约2000万印度妇女辞掉工作
2、 适龄工作妇女人口劳动参与率从1993-94年间的42%锐减到了2011-12年的31%
3、 下降最严重的部分发生在15-24岁居住在农村的妇女中，下降幅度达53%
4、 在农村，妇女劳动参与率从2004年5月的49%下降至2009年10月份的37.8%
5、 但在2004年5月到2009年10月，超过2400万男性加入劳动人口，而在同时期女性劳动人口却下降了2170万。
通过从国家抽样调查组织和人口普查的两轮数据收集，来自世界银行的研究团队尝试探寻到底什么原因导致印度妇女失业率的不断飙升。
可预见的社会规则导致印度女性放弃工作：婚姻、母亲身份、棘手的性别关系和歧视，以及父权制。研究表明，贫困人口由于送孩子上学所引起的收入变化反应比富人更大。女性家庭成员参加工作来提升家庭收入的稳定性反而会被认为是一种妨碍。
显然，除农业劳动之外，女性需要更好且更稳定的工作机会。农村劳动市场应该向妇女及他们的家庭提供可接受并且充满吸引力的工作机会。
世界银行研究表明，如果男性和女性工作形势不改变，利润将不会明显增加。女性工作的重要性应该被纳入女性、丈夫及法律的策略交流中去。而且，另外一个研究发现，持续减少的的农业基础工作，已经导致了女性聚焦于她们家庭的经济活动。以那么家务工作者应该被计入劳动人口中去吗？
