A woman brings so much to every table she sits at, from empathy to innovation and balance. Now imagine having to witness a time when there are no women in the workforce. None to make a change, none to raise a voice, none to take care.
Just empty desks, thinner line-ups of female professionals and boardrooms missing every advice coming from a female perspective. These aren’t isolated stories; they reflect a national pattern.
In India, way too many women are stepping out of paid employment, and the sound of their empty seats echoes far beyond their households. Be it the economy or the innovation it requires, the vacancy left by women ripples through all of it. So, what really happens when women leave the workforce?
The Disappearing Workforce
According to The India Forum, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the year 2023-2024, conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), shows a higher trend in the number of women in the workforce.
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of rural women shows an increase of 6.1 percentage points, and that of urban women is 2.6 percentage points in 2023-2024, as against the previous year. This record, although showing a growing trend in the employment of females, is important to note that this growth owes to the rise in self-employment and unpaid family work, not salaried employment.
Additionally, according to the 2021 report State of Working India by Azim Premji University, the number of women who have quit the workforce has been extremely high, irrespective of what work field they belonged to.
According to the statistics, about 50% of the women exited the workforce, against 11% of men. The maximum exits (56%) were seen among salaried women. These exits often come from factors like a lack of flexibility in the workspace, a lack of incentives, a huge gender gap in salaries, bad behaviour towards female employees, etc.
A 2025 article by Mint highlights a recent study by Udaiti Foundation that reveals, “52% of women with less than one year of experience in India’s blue-grey-collar workforce plan to quit within 12 months.”
It further added that “54% of women who are currently working are unhappy with their pay, and 80% save less than ₹2,000/month.”
Read More: ResearchED: Are There More Entrepreneurs Than Employees? How Will Companies Run?
What The Experts Think
As per an editorial by The Economic Times, economists are warning of a troubling data point that needs attention. The report explains that the disappearance of women from the workforce could shave the world off some trillion dollars.
The report reads, “As the world climbs out of the pandemic, economists warn of a troubling data point: Failing to restore jobs for women — who have been less likely than men to return to the workforce — could shave trillions of dollars off global economic growth.
The forecast is particularly bleak in developing countries like India, where female labour force participation fell so steeply that it’s now in the same league as war-torn Yemen.”
According to the Labour Force Participation Distillation Report, based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data recorded over the years, only about 110 million women are “projected to join the workforce by 2047.” This leaves behind a gap of 145 million women needed to meet the target.
The Times of India quotes the Director & Head of The/Nudge Prize, Kanishka Chatterjee: “India’s demographic dividend and dreams of a $30 trillion economy cannot be realised without boosting the participation of women in the workforce.”
The report says, “When we looked at PLFS data, we understood what the supply side is or where women or men work today. But there are no other data pointers available where we can clearly see what are the demand markers available in India, which will hire women, or which may be better suited for women to take jobs or to drive their entrepreneurial journeys.”
Further, Mint quoted Pooja Goyal, the founding CEO of The Udaiti Foundation, saying, “This report reveals a tremendous opportunity for India to unlock its full economic potential. We have demonstrated that we can open doors for women, and the unlock lies in creating systems that enable them to thrive and grow.
Women are not leaving because they lack capability; they are leaving because we have not yet built the infrastructure and designed workplaces for their success,” highlighting a study conducted by Udaiti Foundation about the alarming rise in attrition rates among women.
The report highlights five key solutions as per the survey that can ensure women’s retention in work. These include higher income, safer conditions of mobility, improved infrastructure in the workplace, better career pathways, and a supportive work culture.
The Way Forward
Female professionals in India are often suppressed by societal norms, concerns of safety, and a lack of conditions to foster growth, even when they are educated and deserving.
India’s care economy contributes 15%-17% of GDP based on the 2019 Time Use Survey. According to the National Sample Survey Organisation’s (NSSO) Time Use Survey 2019, almost 92% of women between the ages of 15-59 reported doing daily housework as compared to 29% of men. All of this goes unnoticed.
Further, the gender pay gap is also wide. If women’s participation were appreciated on the basis of skills and not gender, India could see an improvement in its GDP and work productivity.
Perhaps what women really need isn’t exception but inclusion. Inclusion of their problems and struggles, and solutions to help them thrive in every field.
Flexibility should be seen as a default, not as an exception, because flexible hours, childcare support, and leaves aren’t just “perks” but essentials.
Safe and reliable modes of mobility are important because most women have reported feeling unsafe during travel related to work.
Bridging the gender pay gap because equal work requires equal payment and incentives.
Additionally, many initiatives such as Tata’s Second Career Internship Program (SCIP), Amazon’s Rekindle, and Goldman Sachs’ Returnship programs are curated for women to reignite their careers after a break.
At the end, it’s important for us as a nation to understand that when a woman leaves the workforce, the loss is of more than just an empty seat; the real loss is the voice that had the power to change something.
Creating a safe environment for a woman to work in isn’t charity but a strategy because when women step out of their homes, economies rise, workplaces thrive, and society lives another day to see a change.
Images: Google Images
Sources: The Economic Times, The India Forum, Mint
Find the blogger: @shubhangichoudhary_29
This post is tagged under: women leaving workforce India, women workforce participation India, female labour force participation India, gender pay gap India, women employment rate India, women in workplace challenges, women empowerment in India, women and economy India, gender equality in workforce, working women in India, female employment trends India, women return to work programs India
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