Officials from the Department of Women and Child Development say that the success rate of schemes introduced for supporting women empowerment is 85 percent.
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released in December 2023, by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation show an increase in the number of women in the work force.
Officials from the Department of Women and Child Development say that the success rate of schemes introduced for supporting women empowerment is 85 percent.
Padmini, an official from the Department of Women and Child Development, said that their main objective is to support women in the employment sector. She said, “Through Udyogini Scheme, Women Training Programme, and Karnataka State Financial Corporation schemes, we provide support to women entrepreneurs.”
She added, “In order to encourage women to participate in the workforce, we create awareness by providing pamphlets about the schemes in the rural areas,”
Women are provided subsidy on loans for business activities under the Udyogini Scheme and Karnataka State Financial Corporation schemes. In an evaluation report of Udyogini Scheme released in 2018, a total of 1091 beneficiaries were interviewed. Among them, 47 percent have utilised the loan amount for improving their existing business. Around 49 percent have started a new business and four percent did not use the loan amount for the sanctioned purpose.
According to the Female Labour Utilization report released by the Ministry of Labour and Employment,the female participation rate in rural and urban areas is 36.6 percent and 23.3 percent respectively.
The press release by the Ministry of Women and Child Development mentions the female labour force participation rate in 2023 as 37 percent, a 4.2 percent increase compared to the previous year.
The Female Labour Utilization report also found the reasons given by females for not participating in the workforce. The report stated that around 44.5 percent of the women are not in the labour force because of child care and personal commitments in home making and 3.4 percent cite social reasons.
Neha, an artist said, “Though some schemes provide financial assistance for us, we find it difficult to make our business successful.” She said that monitoring their business until it becomes stable will help encourage a lot of women to participate in workforce.
She said that lack of support is not the only problem they face. “In a lot of places, we don’t feel safe while working,” Neha said. She added that taking strict action against people who harass women in the workplace will encourage them to participate in the work force.
A study on Women’s Workforce Participation in Karnataka found that around 60 percent of women with regular salaried employment are working without any written job contract, 37 percent are not eligible for any social benefits, and 31 percent are ineligible for any paid holiday. The study states that the working conditions of women in Karnataka are not great.
Edward Thomas, an activist from Dream India Network, said that women face a lot of challenges in their work place. He said, “Women in rural places need support from the government.”
He added that people in the rural places worry about safety. “Ensuring the safety and coordinating with the women who are interested in getting employed will encourage more women to participate in the workforce,” he said.
