The rural-urban divide in female labour force participation
The participation of women in the labour market has increased, with the rise being more pronounced in rural areas rather than urban areas
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025 has revealed a significant increase in the Female Labour Force Participation rate (FLFPR) since the COVID-19 pandemic, with rural areas experiencing more pronounced growth than urban areas. While the overall FLFPR for those aged 15 years and above increased from 30% in 2019-20 to 40% in 2025, the rural FLFPR saw a more substantial rise from 33% to 45.9%, compared to an increase from 23.3% to 27.7% in urban areas.
This disparity highlights the need for a more granular, State-level analysis to understand how individual States have performed since the pandemic.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
