New Delhi: Women empowerment in India is emerging as a central force behind the nation’s economic transformation.
Data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reveals that women’s employment rate nearly doubled, rising from 22% in 2017-18 to 40.3% in 2023-24. During the same period, the female unemployment rate dropped significantly from 5.6% to 3.2%.
Women Empowerment in India Boosts Workforce Participation
The growth has been especially prominent in rural India, where female employment rose by 96%, while urban India recorded a 43% increase. Employability among female graduates improved from 42% in 2013 to 47.53% in 2024, while the employment rate among women with postgraduate education or higher increased from 34.5% in 2017-18 to 40% in 2023-24.
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The India Skills Report 2025 projects that nearly 55% of Indian graduates will be globally employable in 2025, up from 51.2% in 2024.
Formal Workforce Growth Under Women Empowerment in India
EPFO payroll data highlights that 1.56 crore women have joined the formal workforce in the past seven years. Additionally, over 16.69 crore unorganized women workers are registered on the e-Shram portal, enabling access to government-backed welfare schemes.
Government Initiatives Fuel Women Empowerment in India
Women entrepreneurs are benefiting from targeted support through 70 central and more than 400 state-level schemes. Gender budgets have seen a 429% increase over the past decade, rising from ₹0.85 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to ₹4.49 lakh crore in FY 2025-26. Female self-employment also grew by 30%, reaching 67.4% in 2023-24.
Nearly every second DPIIT-registered startup has at least one woman director, with over 74,000 women in leadership roles. Initiatives like Startup India, Namo Drone Didi, and DAY-NRLM are further accelerating women’s participation in entrepreneurship and economic growth.
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Women Empowerment in India Driving Entrepreneurship and MSMEs
Women have received 68% of Mudra loans – over 35.38 crore loans worth ₹14.72 lakh crore – while 44% of PM SVANidhi beneficiaries are women street vendors. Women-led MSMEs have nearly doubled, growing from 1 crore in 2010-11 to 1.92 crore in 2023-24, generating more than 89 lakh additional jobs for women.
Nari Shakti Leading India Towards Viksit Bharat
From self-employment to corporate leadership, women are shaping India’s economic transformation. Women empowerment in India is no longer confined to development but is driving women-led growth. With education, skill development, financial inclusion, and entrepreneurship opportunities, Nari Shakti is steering India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047.
