NEW DELHI: The International Labor Organization has expressed concern over the obstacles to the development of a labor market for women in India.
In a study entitled, “Limited options: Women workers in rural India” the Geneva based organization says, “neither the pull factors, which draw women for employment into the non-agricultural sectors of the economy nor the push factors which facilitate their release from the precincts of the household are adequately present in the Indian context.”
In such circumstances, the study says, female participation in economic activity has a pronounced tendency to remain clustered around agriculture and allied activities, except where a concerted effort is made through public policies to facilitate their entry into the non-agricultural sectors of the economy.
The study, carried out by the Asian Regional Team for Employment Promotion (ARTEP) of the ILO examines the present skill composition of women workers and their prospects for upward mobility into the skill intensive and more remunerative occupational categories within the labor force.
The ARTEP study examined women’s work force participation in rural Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana and highlighted the possible measures and program which could be initiated to bring about a positive impact on women’s employment and occupational diversification.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 19, 1990
