"Viksit Bharat in reach if female workers increase"

Franziska Ohnsorge, the World Bank's Chief Economist for South Asia, on trends in female labour force participation rate, policy measures, and more

- SURABHI

THE WORLD BANK'S 'South Asia Development Update October 2024: Women, Jobs and Growth' said that raising female labour force participation rates in the region to those of men would increase regional GDP by up to 51%. In an interview with BUSINESS TODAY, Franziska Ohnsorge, the World Bank's Chief Economist for South Asia, underscores that this is entirely possible through societal and economic support. Edited excerpts:

The report highlights the low female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in South Asian countries, partly due to societal norms. But even in other East Asian and African countries, it's largely women who perform household chores.