The waning number of women at work in Uttar Pradesh: a relook into proximate determinants

The labour market in Uttar Pradesh functions iniquitously, particularly with respect to valuing women's work, fixing the minimum wage for home-based work and looking at the needs of women workers from the most disadvantaged social groups. This paper builds the case for improving women workers’ education, information and skill level, and it emphasizes the need for strategies to promote women's control over assets and increase their autonomy. The paper recommends that policymakers and planners focus on the determinants of the female labour force participation rate, and on research-based policy initiatives and interventions to provide rural women workers work opportunities and better wages.