The ongoing radical transformation in India has much to do with education rather than growth; with women rather than men. However, the work force participation of females in India lags considerably behind the “norm”. There exists large difference between the participation rates of females in the rural & urban areas, worst is the case of the latter. In rural areas, the participation rate has hovered around 40-45% and in urban areas it is found to be lower than that. The international norm for female participation in labour force being around 60%, it clearly indicates that even rural India is quite a distance away from “fitting” the worldwide pattern. The situation prevalent hence would not be very dissimilar from that prevailing in most Islamic countries. India is unlikely to realise its “demographic dividend” to the fullest extent unless significant steps are taken to improve the workforce participation of females.

KEYWORDS: education, economic growth, income, manufacturing.