E-Paper
Bridging the urban gender gap
This article is authored by Manmeet Singh, president, Indian Staffing Federation (ISF).
India's ambition to become a global manufacturing and services powerhouse cannot be realised while a significant proportion of its urban female talent remains outside the workforce. Although women's labour force participation has improved nationally in recent years, urban areas continue to lag. According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the national female Labour Force Participation Rate (15 years and above) stood at 34.4%, while the urban female LFPR was just 25.2%, highlighting the deep structural barriers that limit women's economic integration in cities.
The challenge is no longer merely about creating openings; it is about building workplaces that women can trust. For many urban women, the decision to join or remain in the workforce relies heavily on three factors: Physical security, income predictability, and long-term career confidence.
As the world of work evolves, new employment models celebrate flexibility as the ultimate solution for women balancing domestic and professional responsibilities. However, flexibility without guardrails does not translate into sustained participation. In an unregulated gig economy, this flexibility often shifts the entire operational and physical risk onto the individual. Lacking a formal employer-employee relationship, workers navigate volatile earnings and algorithmic pressures. For a female worker entering private spaces or working non-traditional hours, a basic app-based SOS button is a poor substitute for institutional safety. Pushed by automated metrics, they can face sudden account suspensions or unaddressed workplace harassment, without a human HR framework to turn to.
This is where structured, formal employment contracts present a vastly superior alternative. A written tripartite employment contract is the first tangible assurance that a woman’s rights will be legally protected. It replaces the precarious uncertainty of gig work with complete corporate accountability. By explicitly defining wages, safe working conditions, and transparent career progression, structured contracts turn policy aspirations into enforceable employer commitments. Statutory protections—such as equal opportunity in recruitment, equal remuneration, 26 weeks of paid maternity benefits, nursing breaks, and mandatory crèche facilities—become legally binding guarantees. This institutional backing is frequently the deciding factor between a woman taking a temporary job and building a lifelong career.
The organised staffing industry offers clear proof of how this transition accelerates diversity. According to the ISF’s Indian Flexi Staffing Report women constitute 27% of India's organised flexi workforce. Regionally, Karnataka has emerged as a clear trailblazer, boasting a remarkable 37% female participation rate in the organised flexi workforce. This performance reflects the region's robust ecosystem across Global Capability Centres (GCCs), technology, health care, retail, and advanced services. It demonstrates that when structured employment models are deployed at scale, inclusive and sustainable workforce participation naturally follows.
India's evolving labour framework has further strengthened this momentum by permitting women to work across all sectors and shifts, including night shifts. However, unlike the self-managed risks of the gig economy, formal staffing models legally bind the employer to provide mandatory guardrails, secure point-to-point transportation, and verified workplace safeguards. It creates a secure environment where operational flexibility and physical safety coexist successfully.
Public policy is actively reinforcing this shift toward formalisation. Government initiatives like the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), the National Career Service (NCS), and the newly introduced Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme are expanding pathways for first-time female professionals and those returning after career breaks. By subsidising formal hiring and standardising skills, these programmes help employers build a highly secure, industry-ready talent pipeline.
As India positions itself as a global manufacturing hub and Bengaluru solidifies its status as the nation's premier GCC capital, the availability of a stable, diverse workforce is our greatest competitive advantage. Increasing urban female labour participation is not just a social objective; it is a core business imperative. Companies that choose structured contracts over volatile gig arrangements will be far better positioned to reduce attrition, protect workers, and improve productivity.
India's next phase of economic growth will not be determined only by the volume of jobs we generate, but by the quality of the frameworks protecting the women who fill them. By replacing precarious gig uncertainty with dignity, transparency, and legal safety, structured employment will serve as the true engine for unlocking India’s demographic dividend.
(The views expressed are personal)
This article is authored by Manmeet Singh, president, Indian Staffing Federation (ISF).
