But female participation in India’s workforce has declined from 34% in 1999 to 27% in 2014, making it the worst rate among BRICS nations.
The five states with the largest proportion of literate women – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra – account for 53% (4.3 million) of all business establishments owned by women nationwide, although no more than 33% of India’s women live in these states, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of data released by the Economic Census 2012.
With 73.4% of its women literate, Tamil Nadu – third among the larger states after Kerala and Maharashtra – has India’s largest number of establishments run by women, one million, according to the 2012 census.
Tamil Nadu is followed by Kerala – which has 90% female literacy, India’s highest rate – which accounts for 11% of the businesses run by women.
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