India, Sept. 20 -- Two portraits of the same woman

Nowhere is that gap wider than in the data on women. Depending on which official series you consult, India has either achieved a historic breakthrough in female employment or is quietly losing ground.

The annual PLFS, which measures activity over a full year, shows female labour force participation rising from 30% in 2019-20 to about 40% in 2025 - a rural surge from 33% to 45.9%, against a far more modest urban move from 23.3% to 27.7%. On these numbers, India has added tens of millions of women to its workforce in five years.

The monthly bulletins, which ask what a person did in the preceding week, tell a flatter story. Female participation stood at 32.8% in May 2026, down from 33.2% ...