Role of education in explaining women work participation in two economically contrasting Indian states.

Debasis Barik, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Guruswamy Madappa, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Female workers play very important role in agriculture based Indian economy. They participate in farm and non farm activities besides domestic work. Both Punjab and Tamil Nadu had almost same female literacy rate in 2001 but there is a hail and heaven difference in female work force partition between these two states. The present paper has tried to understand the rate of change in levels, type of earning and factor associated with female work force participation in Punjab, having low FWPR and Tamil Nadu, with high FWPR by using three rounds of NFHS data. The study reveals that WPR among ever married women is increasing in Punjab but decreasing in Tamil Nadu. Though the economy of Punjab is highly agricultural based it has failed to attract the female labour force in the primary sector. In both Punjab and Tamil Nadu education and autonomy are playing significant role in increasing FWPR.