What Census says about our better half female population?

Women constitute about 48.5 per cent of our population.  Rural India has little better representation at 48.7 per cent and Urban the same stand at 48.2 per cent.  Better half is not exactly half.  We wish and should strive hard to make it at least half.  Only Kerala and Puducherry have been successful in this endeavor.  The same was also there in the year 2001 and the ratios have improved further.  The desired progress during the previous decade is seen in most of the states except for the states: Gujarat, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Union Territories : Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

As per 2011 census, female workers were 31.11 percent of total working population in India as compared to 25.63 percent was in the year 2001.  The rise is quite in positive direction.  The percent share of females as cultivators, Agricultural labourers, workers in household industry and other workers out of total female work force stood at 24.01%, 41.09%, 05.71% and 29.18% respectively in 2011 in India.  The respective percent shares in the 2001 stood at 32.93, 38.87, 6.46 and 21.75.  Thus the females are adopting themselves more in agriculture labourer role and getting more as other workers.  The type of workers that came under ‘other workers’ category included factory workers, plantation workers, those in trade, commerce, business, transport, mining, construction, political or social work, all government servants, municipal employees, teachers, priests, entertainment artists, etc.

Percentage of female main workers, female marginal workers and female non-workers to total female population was 15.20, 10.31 and 74.49 as compared to 14.68, 10.95 and 74.37 percent in the year 2001.  Tendency is more towards either to main work or no work i.e. the shift is seen away from marginal work force.

Work participation rate of female workers in rural areas was higher (little less than double) which stood at 30.02 per cent as compared to the work participation rate of 15.44 per cent in urban areas.  The respective figures in the year 2001 were 30.79 per cent and 11.88 per cent.  Thus we may observe that now more women are coming forward in urban areas and the rural women have marginally reduced their participation in work.

The non-workers comprise of sixty percent as women and the women who do not work comprise of about three-fourth of female total population in the year 2011.