Why are less women found in regular salaried employment?
Families discourage female members from taking up jobs, especially where men are able to earn high incomes. This social barrier limits women's participation in the employment market and regular salaried employment.
Additionally, many household activities done by women are not recognised as productive work. Women are actively engaged in unpaid activities within the house and at family farms. This narrow definition of work leads to non-recognition of women's work and underestimation of women workers. While self-employment is the major source of livelihood for both men and women, casual wage work is the second major source for women, not regular salaried employment.
Explanation
The textbook provides two main reasons for fewer women in regular salaried employment. First, social barriers exist where families discourage women from working, particularly when men earn high incomes. Second, women's household work and activities at family farms remain unpaid and unrecognised as productive work. The data shows men form 24% in regular salaried employment while women form only 17%. Self-employment accounts for more than 50% of the workforce for both genders, and casual wage work (not regular salaried employment) is the second major source for women.