Start
March 22, 2024 - 3:30 pm
End
March 22, 2024 - 5:00 pm
The Motherhood Penalty in Kerala: The Case of Women with Higher Education
To be delivered by:
Dr. Tirtha Chatterjee, Dr. Thiagu Ranganathan and Prof. Praveena Kodoth
Chair:
Prof. Vinoj Abraham
ABSTRACT:
Women’s labour force participation in Kerala has remained consistently higher than all India while their work participation rates lower leading to high unemployment rates. This distinct pattern of women’s labour market behaviour in Kerala is driven by educated women in the state and has attracted considerable scholarly attention. Deeper probing of this problem using secondary and primary sources throws light on the specific constraints faced by women in Kerala and also nuances the debate in the all India context which has laid varied emphasis on supply and demand side constraints. Notably, scholars have argued that the state of Kerala has witnessed a shift to an intensified child care regime post demographic transition which draws disproportionately on the unpaid work of mothers and poses a significant barrier to their ability to be employed. Conceptualising this as motherhood penalty, this paper probes the negotiations by higher educated women to remain employed or find suitable employment. Based on our analysis of large-scale nationally representative surveys of employment, we find that work participation among women has shown a consistent and sharp increase over the years from 2017 and 2022. Over this period, higher educated women register higher employment and unemployment levels compared to women in other education categories underscoring a heightened aspiration to work. Further, the analysis shows that childcare responsibilities take a toll on women’s employment as women in households with children aged six years or below register comparatively lower employment. To investigate the motherhood penalty further, we also use material obtained through survey and structured in depth interviews with 67 mothers, all women with higher education, in a rural and urban ward in Ernakulum district. The employment trajectory of women in our sample was punctuated by interruptions and while marriage typically accounted for the first break in employment, motherhood presented a distinct set of challenges. Analysis of the narratives of mothers showed that affordable and time-flexible day care, which is perceived as being of good quality, could bolster women’s ability to remain in employment.