Understanding the gap in child care services in India

Abstract

What would you expect to be the situation of the state of women workforce in a country where women education has risen, and the fertility rate has fallen – I am sure you would expect that more women must have entered the workforce. But, contrary to that, India is experiencing a decrease in female workforce participation which stands at 23.3% in 2017-18 compared to 42.7% in 2004-05. There are many reasons behind this phenomenon which includes – ▪ Cultural attitude – There is a widespread belief in India that if women are working, then that is an indicator of low family status. Hence, it is very common for women from higher-status families not to work. Moreover, women in India still bear the responsibility of taking care of the children, elders and taking care of home, which further prevents them from entering the workforce. On top of it, the 26-week compulsory maternity leave has disincentivized the employer from hiring women, making it all the more difficult for women to find work. ▪ Increasing household incomes – Between 1991 and 2018, there has been a fivefold increase in annual per capita household income in India. Combining this with our initial proposition regarding cultural attitude, this has actually led to women dropping from workforce. ▪ Jobless growth – The unemployment rate in India has been on the rise majorly because of the inability of the Indian economy to absorb the working age. This has affected women more than men since men are considered to be the breadwinners in the family. Moreover, India has shifted from manufacturing to services economy which is not labor intensive and required specialized skills which are not suitable for women. Also, the mechanization of jobs where women had maximum participation like agriculture has also led to women dropouts. Although, change in mindset seems to be the major barrier in case of women dropout from workforce. The absence of access to quality childcare facilities has also been listed as one of the reasons to the problem. Our project aimed at understanding this reason in a broader detail and on coming up with solutions to improve child-care services in India.