Share of women in unincorporated sector highest in the south
- 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.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- 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.
- 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.
- West Bengal is the only other State outside south India that featured high on this list.
- However, in general, the share of women among unpaid family workers in unincorporated enterprises was much higher than other job-types in every State.
- This means women across India play a relatively silent, yet major role in unincorporated sectors.
- In many cases, they take no payment and have little say in how the enterprise is run.
Prelims Takeaway
- Unorganized sector