India, Philippines witnessed the largest decline in gender gap in the post-pandemic period: Moody’s

India and the Philippines have witnessed the largest decline in the labour force participation gender gap in the post-pandemic period, Moody’s Analytics said in a report Wednesday.

The global risk management firm noted that narrowing of the gender gap since 2019 has added $1.5 trillion to global income, nearly half of which came from India and Japan, where gender gaps are still wide.

“In India’s case, (gender gap is) more than four times the US or the EU,” the report pointed out, noting that “these larger gaps can often be traced to traditional gender roles and insufficient supportive policies for women in the workforce.”


Labour force participation measures the people who are either working or willing to work as a proportion of the total working-age population.

Moody’s Analytics pointed out that tight labour markets, a rising cost of living and more flexible working conditions were partly responsible for the change.

It also pointed out that in certain countries, a rise in female labour force participation without a concomitant increase in male labour force additions also contributed to narrowing the gap.

“Even more promising is that this has been a global phenomenon, with significant progress seen not only in the U.S. and Europe but in most major countries in Asia and Latin America as well,” it said.

India’s female labour force participation in urban areas rose to 25% in Q3FY24, according to data released earlier this month.

While women have gained in the labour force, the gap between male and female unemployment remains high.

Urban unemployment rate for women was 8.6% in the third quarter compared with 5.8% for men. While the female unemployment rate hasn’t changed from the previous quarter, male unemployment declined to 5.8% from 6% earlier.

However, the decline in unemployment has come owing to a rise in self-employed jobs and a decline in regular-wage jobs.

An ET analysis found that in the case of formal sector jobs, women have been gaining more in less remunerative jobs.