Govt drawing up flexi work plan for women

New Delhi: The government is planning to create a new framework for flexible working arrangements for women to lift their participation in the labour force by addressing some of the challenges faced and offering social security benefits to those in the unorganised sector.

A task force under labour secretary Sumita Dawra is studying ways to boost female workforce participation. It is considering a new framework comprising a mix of various flexi work arrangements for women that could be suggested to states and industry.

"This (proposed framework) may not be statutory but in the nature of an advisory to states and companies to follow," a person familiar with the deliberations told ET.

The flexi working arrangements, being examined, could be within the existing work hours and could be sector specific, the person said. Advisory for sectors that already have greater women participation such as the care economy could be issued first.

The Centre is looking at various models on flexi working arrangements such as working few hours in a day or week and issues around it. The task force has held multiple rounds of deliberations with key stakeholders including industry and experts and is expected to submit its report by the end of this year, the person said.

The task force is also expected to lay out a blueprint to address some of the challenges being faced by women, including measures to enhance mobility and improve public transportation. It could also make suggestions on ensuring social security benefits to women, including those employed in the unorganised sector to enhance women empowerment.

The global female labour force participation rate is over 50%, compared to 80% for men. In India, it is much below the global average at 37%, compared to 77.2% for men.

The government is of the view that women tend to drop out from workforce or avoid taking up formal jobs due to family responsibilities.

A study by the National Family Health Survey showed Indian women contribute only 18% to the gross domestic product (GDP), despite constituting 48% of the population, and bridging the gender gap in employment could potentially lead to 30% increase in the country's GDP.