Share of women in unincorporated sector highest in the south

High share of women in unincorporated enterprises in southern States, with significant roles as workers and owners.

The share of women owners and workers in unincorporated enterprises was relatively high in the southern States, according to the recently released Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector 2022-23. To an extent, in some eastern States too, the share of women in the sector was high; it remained low in the western, northern, and central States.

The unincorporated sector includes jobs that require little to no capital and skills, such as street vending, as well as work that involves considerable investment and expertise, such as tailoring and car repair. The shop may be operated by an individual or a self-employed entrepreneur who may enlist unpaid family members or employ paid workers. They may work from a fixed location or in homes, small shops, and workshops. The survey divides such workers into three broad sectors: manufacturing, trade, and other services and does not include agricultural establishments. The sector excludes establishments registered under the Companies Act and covered under the Annual Survey of Industries, and public sector/government companies.

The chart shows the share of women employed across sectors in various positions such as unpaid family members, informal/formal hired workers, and working-owners in unincorporated enterprises. A circle corresponds to a State. The regions are differentiated by colours. Smaller States were not considered.

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Section 1A of the chart depicts the share of women working across all sectors of unincorporated enterprises, including all the classes of workers put together. All the southern States are positioned towards the right of the chart. This means that the share of women in the workforce was relatively high. Section 1A shows that Telangana leads the country, with women constituting 41% of the workforce, which includes working-owners and formal/informal workers and unpaid family members, across all sectors in the State’s unincorporated enterprises. The share in other southern States crossed 30%, closely followed by West Bengal and Odisha at 30%. Sections 1B and 1C depict the same data for the manufacturing and trade sectors separately.

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Section 5A depicts the share of women among worker-owners across sectors. Here, too, southern States stand out. This means that in the south, women not only formed a higher share of the overall workforce (including owners), but they also constituted a relatively higher share among worker-owners. West Bengal is the only other State outside south India that featured high on this list.