Context:
Economic Advisory Council to the PM Published ‘Working Paper on Female Labour Force Participation (LFPR)’
Working Paper on Female Labour Force Participation (LFPR):
- Based on data from – Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) (2017-18 to 2022-23)
- LFPR – Percentage of employed & unemployed individuals (seeking/available for work) relative to the total population aged 15 years & above.
Key Highlights:
- Female LFPR has increased in nearly all states, though there are variations.
- Rural-Urban Variation: Rural female LFPR saw a significant rise from 24.6% to 41.5% (approximately 69% growth), while urban female LFPR increased modestly from 20.4% to 25.4% (around 25% growth).
- Regional Variation: States like Jharkhand and Bihar experienced notable increases in LFPR, whereas Goa and Lakshadweep saw slight declines in rural female LFPR.
Factors Influencing Female LFPR:
- Age: Female LFPR follows a bell-shaped curve, increasing during the ages of 20-30, peaking at 30-40, and then declining sharply.
- In contrast, male LFPR remains high (around 100%) from ages 30-50, gradually decreasing thereafter.
- Marriage: Marriage significantly reduces women’s LFPR, with a more pronounced decline in urban areas compared to rural areas.
- Parenthood: The presence of children under 14 years old significantly impacts female LFPR, especially for younger women (20-35 years) and more strongly in urban areas.
Source: Economic Times
Previous Year Question
Human capital formation as a concept is better explained in terms of a process which enables
1. individuals of a country to accumulate more capital.
2. increasing the knowledge, skill levels and capacities of the people of the country
3. accumulation of tangible wealth.
4. accumulation of intangible wealth
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2018 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Statement 1 and statement 3 are not correct: Human Capital Formation relates to the enhancement in the abilities of humans as a resource in himself/herself and not the accumulation of capital and tangible wealth.
