Kerala has done what many societies still struggle to do. It has educated its girls as well as its boys, and its young women now outnumber young men in many university courses. Yet when education ends, a large proportion of these women do not enter paid work, or leave it after marriage or the birth of a child.
This is often discussed as a social question. It is also an economic one. An economy that leaves a large share of its most educated people out of the workforce is growing more slowly than it could. Every woman who wants to work but cannot is a loss to her family, to employers and to the public revenue that her earnings would generate.
The reasons are not mysterious. Women in Kerala, like women across India, do most of the unpaid care work in their households. Safe, reliable transport is scarce in many places. Childcare is expensive or unavailable. Many jobs that match women’s qualifications are located far from home. Social expectations still discourage many women from working after marriage.
Each of these barriers can be lowered by policy: public childcare, safe transport, flexible and remote work, enforcement of workplace protections, and, above all, more jobs of the kind educated women want, close to where they live.
The state’s development has been built on investing in people. The next phase should make sure that investment is not wasted.
The views expressed are the author’s own. [Placeholder publication.]