Feminist perspectives on the future of work in India

Zothan Mawii

This study examines the latest insights about the future of work in India and its effects on women.

A future of work, steered largely by technology, will likely have wide societal impact, determined by access to and distribution of technological gains. India is in a unique position where it has the largest young workforce in the world. This presents an opportunity to address existing social inequities and the condition of vulnerable groups. In looking at how women will fare in the future of work, a feminist perspective is helpful for investigating power structures and processes of marginalization that may impact vulnerable groups' access to the workforce and the working conditions they are exposed to.

Zothan Mawii, researcher at Tandem Research, outlines India’s unique position in the future of work:

The country has the largest young workforce in the world, with nearly 4.8 million workers joining the workforce annually. Yet, labour force participation has fallen—it was 49.8 per cent in 2017–2018. During that same period, the female labour force participation rate was at an abysmal 27 per cent
In areas where emerging technologies are adopted, women are predicted to be disproportionately impacted because the low-skill, manual jobs that they occupy will be the first to be automated. One report estimates that up to 12 million Indian women will be displaced due toautomation by 2030.
In India, prevailing socio-cultural norms, the conditions behind declining labour force participation among women, the demographic distribution and the reconfiguration of the labour market are issues that will profoundly impact how women and marginalized groups access work in the future and the opportunities that will be open to them.
This, in combination with the high cost of adopting the new technologies could be a deterrence to its uptake in India, thereby creating unique trajectories other than global trends.

This paper is part of the regional project "Women and the future of work in Asia". With insights from distinguished researchers in nine Asian countries, FES and its partners aim to further promote gender equality in the world of work, with emphasis on enhancing women’s participation in public and political life and promoting decent work for all along with gender-just and human-centric economic models.

Mawii, Zothan