Breaking barriers not pay gaps: Telangana women’s uneven march

Hyderabad: Women’s participation in Telangana’s workforce has recorded a steady rise in recent years, but this progress continues to be overshadowed by significant wage inequality, particularly in the informal sector, according to official data and ground-level interactions.

Data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023–24 shows a clear upward trend in female participation. The urban female labour force participation rate (LFPR) stands at around 50–51 per cent, while rural participation remains lower at 25–26 per cent.

Women’s workforce participation rate (WPR) has nearly doubled over the years, rising from 22 per cent in 2017 to 40.3 per cent in 2024. The overall LFPR during the July 2023 to June 2024 period was recorded at nearly 60 per cent.

Despite this increase, wage disparities remain wide. Studies and sectoral data indicate that women in Hyderabad earn 30 to 40 per cent less than men on average. In sectors such as retail and manufacturing, the wage gap ranges between 15 and 17 per cent, while in the IT sector it varies from 10 to 17 per cent. The gap is relatively lower in healthcare and pharmaceuticals at around 10 per cent, but continues to persist. Agriculture records the highest wage disparity.

Data from TeamLease Digital and the NSSO suggests that women often earn only 60 to 70 per cent of male wages, largely due to overrepresentation in lower-level roles, limited leadership opportunities and mid-career dropouts driven by work–family pressures.

The situation is more severe in the informal sector. Women workers often earn between 20 and 60 per cent less than men despite performing similar work and putting in long hours. Many earn as little as Rs 5,000 a month, far below the state’s minimum wage benchmark of Rs 12,000.

Savita Devi, a garment factory worker from Nacharam Chilaka Nagar, said, “I come early every day and work till evening. There are around 3,000 women workers here. Men doing the same work earn about Rs 14,000, but women are paid only Rs 9,500. After factory work, we also have household responsibilities, but nothing changes.”

Echoing similar views, Arjun, a local factory worker, said, “Women operate the same machines and work as hard as men, but they are always paid less, even when they work long hours”

Repeated attempts to contact officials from the Hyderabad Labour Department for a response on wage disparity and enforcement of minimum wage norms did not elicit any reply.

While women’s participation in Telangana’s workforce is clearly increasing, the data and lived experiences point to a continuing gap between employment growth and equitable pay, raising questions over enforcement, accountability and workplace equality.