Women form an integral part of the Indian work force, as it comprises half of the Indian population. Though Women Labour Force Participation is an important and necessary element of an inclusive and sustainable development process, women in India continue to face many barriers to enter labour market, which include access to employment, choice of work, conditions of work, security of employment, wage disparity, discrimination, sexual harassment and balancing the burdens of work and family responsibility. Also in India we have large number of women labour engaged in informal sector where their exposure to risk of exploitation is usually high and they have least formal protection. All these factors may compel Indian policy makers to take comprehensive approach towards the improvement of labour market outcomes for women through improving access to education, equal pay, training programs, skill development, maternity benefit, access to child care, provision of safe and accessible transport. Gender responsive policies needs to be developed with aim of not only increasing women labour force participation but also to creating more employment opportunity that will in turn contribute to the economic empowerment of women.

Keywords : Gender, Labour Force Participation Rate, Gender Gap