| Summary/Abstract |
This study examines long-term trends in the labour market outcomes of young urban female graduates in India. Using nationally representative employment data, we find that a rise in the adjusted labour force participation rate of young educated women (15–29 years) between 1999 and 2000 and 2011–12 was not accompanied by a corresponding improvement in their access to suitable employment opportunities. We provide evidence of the inability of the labour market to effectively absorb the increasing shares of higher qualified young urban females into formal regular jobs. Further, a gendered comparison of trends depicts the presence of continuing gender discrimination. In such a scenario, the discouraging effects may either keep many educated young women in a state of unemployment or result in their withdrawal from the labour force.
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