Women, Work and Enterprise: India’s Push for Better Livelihoods

According to Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data cited in the PIB release, India's female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) increased from 23.3% in 2017-18 to 40% in 2025, and the Worker Population Rate (WPR) rose from 22% to 38.8%, with an estimated 20 crore women aged 15 and above employed in 2025. Policy support is expanding to transition this participation into better-quality work, entrepreneurship, and economic security through formalization, credit accessibility, market linkage platforms like the Womaniya initiative on GeM, targeted skill development schemes, and labor reforms.