The latest findings of the National Family Health Survey Report-5 (NFHS 2019-21) show that nearly 75% of men aged 15-49 are currently employed three times more than women in the same age group. Issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
NFHS-5 SurveyAbout 6.37 lakh sample households in 707 districts of 28 states and 8 union territories of the country include 7,24,115 females and 1,01,839 males respectively.
“Compared to about 25 percent of women in the 15-49 age group are currently employed” 75 percent Men ages 15-49. There is more employment among the less educated people. About 89 percent of men and 34 percent of women have completed less than 5 years of schooling. There are about 87% men and 34% women who are employed without schooling,” the report said.
The NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households across India. Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya released the report at the ‘Swasthya Chintan Shivir’ organized in Vadodara, Gujarat on Thursday.
NFHS-5 provides important information on many new and emerging issues on reproductive and child health care, fertility and family planning, adolescent girls, menstrual hygiene in girls, employment, occupation, women empowerment and domestic violence etc.
Seventy percent women and 19 percent men reported that they were not employed in the 12 months preceding the survey. The report said that at present a lower percentage of women than men are employed in every state.
Since 2015-16, there has been a slight increase in the current employment level for women. “At present, 24% of women were employed in 2015-16, as against 25 per cent in 2019-21. Among men, the proportion of those currently employed has not changed over the same period,” the report said.
Bihar (14%), Uttar Pradesh (17%), and Assam (18%) have the lowest percentage of women currently employed. At present, more than a third of women are employed in Karnataka (35%), Andhra Pradesh (37%), Telangana (39%), Manipur (40%) and Meghalaya (42%).
Women and men with 10-11 years of schooling, never married women and men, women and men without children, and women and men belonging to the highest wealth quintile were less likely than others to be employed.
The national report also provides data by socio-economic and other background characteristics; Useful for policy formulation and effective program implementation.