An Econometric Analysis of Inter-State Variations in Women’s Labour Force Participation in India

The study attempts to investigate the factors responsible for the inter-state variations in women’s labour force participation in India by using the NSSO 61st round (2004-05) data. Two separate regression models for rural and urban women between women’s labor force participation as dependent variable and its various possible determinants have been estimated to identify the factors determining the rural and urban women’s labour force participation by using cross sectional data of all states and union territories of India. Our findings suggest that Personal variables education and wages are significant determinants of urban women’s labour force participation but not of rural women’s labour force participation. Other important determinants of women’s labour force participation are sex ratio, Muslim population, SC and ST population and Unemployment rate.