“Hands That Build, Left Behind: Where Are India’s Women in Manufacturing?”

“Manufacturing Bharat: Where Are Her Daughters?”

🛠️ Thematic Focus

Category: Economy | Gender | Employment & Skill Development

📌 Key Highlights

• Stark Numbers:
  • Women’s share in formal manufacturing dropped from 20.9% (2015–16) to 18.9% (2022–23).
  • Out of 8.34 million formal workers, only 1.57 million are women.
  • Informal manufacturing employs more women (43%), but often in low-paid roles.
• Where the Women Work:
  • Tamil Nadu alone employs 41% of women in formal manufacturing.
  • Bihar, WB, Chhattisgarh, Haryana show highest gender gaps — less than 6% female share.
• Sector Breakdown:
  • Women concentrated in textiles, food processing, apparel.
  • Tobacco industry (informal): over 90% of workforce is female, often poorly paid.
• Barriers to Entry:
  • Only 6% of women have received formal training.
  • Only 30% have completed secondary education, vs 47% of men.
  • Lack of safety, hostels, and mobility further limit participation.
• Path to Progress:
  • Skill-building & vocational training must be central.
  • Encourage higher education for employability.
  • Safe and inclusive workplaces are essential.
  • Learn from Tamil Nadu’s ‘Thozhi’ hostel scheme — targeted and scalable.

🧠 Concept Explainer

Why Gendered Workforces Hurt Growth

An economy is strongest when every hand is building it. India’s manufacturing dreams cannot be fulfilled by half its population alone. Women don’t lack ability — they lack access. This moment is a call to rethread the loom of policy, education, and opportunity.

📜 GS Paper Mapping

• GS Paper II:
  • Governance: Schemes for Vulnerable Sections, Role of States
  • Policy Interventions: Women Empowerment, Skill India Mission
• GS Paper III:
  • Indian Economy: Employment, Industrial Growth, Informal Sector
  • Inclusive Growth: Gender and Labour Force Participation

✍️ Essay Paper Mapping

• Topics:
  • “Half the Sky, Half the Shift: Women and the Indian Workforce”
  • “Empowerment Begins with Access, Not Applause”
  • “Manufacturing Growth with Missing Women: A Silent Emergency”

💭 A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk

“She lifts the loom, welds the steel, and stitches the fabric of a growing nation — but if we do not make space for her, the economy too shall unravel.”