Women constitute only a quarter of the total labour force in India though they form nearly half of the Indian population. The total workforce in the country is 314 million, of which 224 million are men, and 90 million are women. Workingwomen constitute only 17 per cent of the women folk in India. The percentage of female workers in the total working force is 31.5 and the percentage varies from state to state and from community to community. For instance the percentage of female workers ranges from 9.43 in West Bengal to 43.99 in Madhya Pradesh. In addition to the low work participation rate, women are largely concentrated in the unorganised sector. More than 90 per cent of the female working force is concentrated in the unorganized sector. They are concentrated in this sector due to the biased social value, less skills required for the job, ease of entry, traditional role assigned to them, technological advancements in the organized sector etc. The women labour in Kerala is no exception to this, though women in the state enjoy a high status compared to their counterparts in other states. In this context, it is necessary to have an overview of women employment in Kerala.
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