Women in India face discrimination in the labour market despite their same educational qualification and work experience as men due to societal and employers’ prejudices, according to a report from Oxfam India.

According to Oxfam, the academically recognised statistical model applied in its India Discrimination Report was able to quantify the discrimination women face in the labour market. The lower wages for salaried women are due to 67% of discrimination and 33% due to lack of education and work experience. 

These findings are based on Government of India data on employment and labour from 2004-05 to 2019-20. 

Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam India, said, “There have been very limited attempts made to measure the extent of discrimination and its impact on the lives of marginalised communities in India so far. There have been even fewer attempts to quantify discrimination through rigorous research methods and credible data.”

Behar continued, “What the report finds is if a man and woman starts on an equal footing, the woman will be discriminated in the economic sphere where she will lag behind in regular/salaried, casual and self-employment. The inequality in the labour market for gender and other social categories, the report finds is not just due to poor access to education or work experience but because of discrimination.”

The findings of the Oxfam report indicate discrimination as a driving factor behind low Women’s Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in the country. As per the Union Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), LFPR for women in India stood at 25.1% in 2020-21 for urban and rural women.

The LFPR for women in India has rapidly declined from 42.7% in 2004-05 to 25.1% in 2021 showing the withdrawal of women from the workforce despite rapid economic growth during the same period.

The report also noted that there is also a significant gap in the earnings between men and women in the case of regular and self-employment in urban areas. The men’s average earning is nearly 2.5 times that of the earnings of women.

Oxfam India calls on the government of India to actively enforce effective measures for the protection and right to equal wages and work for all women. The government of India should also incentivise the participation of women in workforce including enhancements in pay, upskilling, job reservations and easy return-to-work options after maternity, Oxfam stated.