India’s gig economy leaving its women behind, study finds

[NEW DELHI] India’s gig economy, which includes 10-minute food delivery and ride-hailing apps, is creating millions of jobs. Yet, women are largely missing from it, according to a new study.

Indian women have achieved near parity with men in access to basic bank accounts, but that progress isn’t carrying over to the digital economy, with women workers underrepresented in jobs at companies such as Uber Technologies, Swiggy and Urban Company, according to report by the International Labour Organization and the National Council of Applied Economic Research. Gaps in digital skills, mobility and safety concerns, and social norms are holding them back, the report released on Monday (Aug 24) found. 

The stakes are significant for an economy that has struggled for decades to bring more women into the workforce. India’s female labour-force participation rate was about 32 per cent in 2025 on an internationally comparable measure, versus almost 78 per cent for men, according to ILO estimates compiled by the World Bank. 

The World Bank estimates that raising women’s participation to 50 per cent could add about one percentage point to India’s annual economic growth – potentially bringing it closer to achieving its ambition of becoming a developed economy by 2047.

The number of gig workers in India is predicted to nearly double to 23.5 million by 2029-30, contributing 2.35 trillion rupees (US$24.5 billion) to the country’s annual economic output, a government estimate shows. 

“Evidence suggests that women remain under-represented and unevenly distributed” across the app-based ecosystem, the researchers said in Monday’s report. Improving that “is a broader social and economic imperative that serves as a catalyst for women’s long-term empowerment and India’s inclusive growth.”

The skill gap in using technology is also reflected in a 2025 government study that found only 56.2 per cent of Indian women age 15 and above own a mobile phone, while just 37 per cent can perform online banking transactions. These shortfalls can make it harder for them to access gig work and other digital earning opportunities.

The problem is not unique to India, though the gender gap in some areas is wider. In 2024, 32 per cent of men in India had a digital banking account, compared with just 14 per cent of women. India’s gap was three times larger than the corresponding gender divide globally, the researchers said.

Gig work could also help women gain better access to finance, the report said. The digital record of their earnings can give banks evidence of their income when assessing them for loans, even if they lack property or other collateral. Those records could also make it easier to offer insurance, savings and pensions. BLOOMBERG