The Vanishing women workforce

India is still ranked 87th when it comes to the female-male ratio at the workplace. Presently, women in India only represent 24 percent of the paid labour force as against the global average of 40%. India is one of the few countries where the rate of participation of women in the workforce has drastically declined in the last decade. It fell from 33.7% in 1991 to 27% in 2016, according to UN gender statistics. If the participation of women in the Indian workforce can be increased to 41 percent by 2025, the GDP could be boosted by an estimated Rs 46 lakh crore ($700 billion).

If we look closely at the reasons for this lack of women in the workforce, we see that most women choose to take a break from their career for family or maternity-related reasons. This temporary hiatus from work makes it difficult for them to re-enter the workforce. In times when unemployment is still high, for mothers returning to work after a career break, the challenge can be almost overwhelming. So it should come as no surprise that 48 percent of women in India abort their careers midway, which is 20 percent more than the global average. This puts the issue of women's re-employability in this country at the forefront.

The key challenges faced by women returning to work after a maternity break are the lack of workplaces that offer flexible work options and the unavailability of quality pre-schools and daycare centres for childcare.