New Delhi, March 6 -- Only 18 per cent of young women in India aged 20-29 are in paid employment compared to nearly 79 per cent of young men, despite achieving near gender parity in higher education. A new white paper by the Centre for Finance & Economics Research (CFER) at Great Lakes Institute of Management reveals that fewer than half of young adults are employed, with women's low participation acting as the primary driver of interstate variation.

The study, titled 'Young Adults at Work in India: Intense Work for Some, Insufficient Jobs for Many', draws on data from India's nationwide Time Use Survey (TUS) 2024.

The report reveals that in several large states, fewer than one in ten young women are employed. Female employment particip...