📰 News ⏱ 2 min

India’s Women Workforce Is Growing Fast

Female labour participation increased from 23.3% in 2017‑18 to 40% in 2025.

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Key Points

5 points

Workforce participation rose by nearly 17 percentage points.

Women own 3.69 crore (about 37 million) small businesses.

Women make up 70% of phone‑manufacturing workers and 25% of semiconductor staff.

Credit Guarantee Scheme covers 90% of loan risk for women‑led firms.

Maternity leave entitlement is up to 26 weeks with paid benefits.

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Women now own about 38% of micro, small and medium enterprises and hold significant roles in technology sectors.

Government schemes such as skill‑training programmes, credit guarantees, and market‑access platforms support women entrepreneurs.

Labour code reforms provide maternity benefits, safety measures, and anti‑discrimination protections.

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11 words

labour force participation rate

the share of people who are working or looking for work

micro, small and medium enterprises

very small, small, and medium sized businesses

entrepreneurship

the act of starting and running a new business

STEM

areas of study that include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

credit guarantee scheme

a program where the government promises to pay back most of a loan if the borrower cannot

subsidy

financial help from the government to lower the cost of something

maternity leave

time off work for a mother after having a baby, often with pay

non‑discrimination

rules that require treating everyone equally, without bias

incubator

a place that provides support and resources to new businesses

procurement

the process of buying goods or services, especially for the government

crore

a unit equal to ten million

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