Women’s employment is on the rise, according to the NHFS survey.

In India, working after marriage is still a relatively new phenomenon. Owing to the family and household duties, most women engage in very few work opportunities or jobs after marriage when compared to males.
Based on some statistics, women receive less money and are less likely to receive a raise or promotion than males. As per Linkedin data, among Asian Pacific nations, Indian women face the most gender discrimination, with a regional average of 60%.
There is a gender employment gap, i.e. it is the difference between men and women in employment rates from 20 to 64. This includes women who want to work, but can’t because of family duties, as well as women who can’t find a job that fits their needs, such as fair treatment, higher job quality, and equal pay.

National Family Health Survey (NHFS)

According to a National Family Health Survey (NHFS), just 32% of married women aging between 15 to 49 are working. Eighty-three percent are paid in cash, while fifteen percent are not paid at all. Compared to married males in the country, this rate is substantially higher at 98 percent, while 4 percent are unpaid for the same age group. The NFHS confirms that major gender gaps still exist in India. The good news is that the percentage of married working women has grown marginally from 31% to 32% between 2019 and 2021. Working women are more likely to use modern contraception than non-working women. These tendencies demand increased efforts and resources in improving women’s liberties and opportunities.

The struggle for women is never ending, however, according to the report, 85 percent of female spouses who earn money, make decisions on how to spend their money is  either alone or together with their partners. Most women make these decisions in cooperation with their partners. Furthermore, this 85 percent has grown in the previous three years, compared to 82 percent from 2016 to 2018. (NFHS – 4) And just 18% make their own decisions, while 14 percent of women depend only on their husbands to decide how to spend their money.

In addition, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) states that over 21 million women left their job, having left just 9 percent of the eligible population employee or searching for employment.