WHAT EXPLAINS THE DECLINE IN FWFPR IN RURAL AREAS IN INDIA?

Female Workforce Participation Rate (FWFPR) declined in rural areas from 2004-05 onwards and it was lower than that of Male Workforce Participation Rate (MWFPR), both in rural and urban areas, in the case of India. We argue in this paper that for rural transformation (inter alia) the female labour force participation does matter. This motivated us to explore the answers for three main questions: Firstly, why FWFPR is important? Secondly, what are the trends in FWFPR in the case of India? And thirdly, what explains the decline in FWFPR in rural areas in the case of India? Using cross section data for 25 States and 7 Union Territories of India and through multiple linear regression technique, the study inds evidence that rural male workforce participation rate, rural non-farm sector share in employment, gender wage gap in rural areas and rural sex ratio are the four important variables which impact rural female workforce participation rate signiicantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]