By Annapurna Raidas
Women in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir have increasingly pursued higher education, but education does not guarantee livelihood as employment opportunities remain scarce in the region.
Compared to the rural areas, urban areas have shown the most signs of progress. However, despite the situation, the human capital, especially in educated and skilled female work force in the state remains underutilised.
J&K has dedicated its resources to train thousands of women for professional careers, yet the region faces significant economic losses and mental health problems. Most women do not participate in waged work as even the highly educated women fail to get opportunities to contribute in the development of the union territory which impacts their mental health as well.
According to data cited in the study of ‘Recent trends in Jammu and Kashmir’s employment landscape’, the Female Labour Force Participation in J&K is 34.1% which is higher than the National Average Female Force Participation at 24.8. Though the female labour workforce data related to J&K is already better than the national average, the data shows that a significant number of women are either workless, perform minor work or do unpaid labour work. It is an indication that there is much left to be done on the front of the female participation in work.
According to the last complete census of J&K in 2011, the female workforce made up 26.09% of total workers. Yet they only held 12.80% of main positions and 47.02% of marginal positions.
J&K experienced rising unemployment because its population and labour force expanded while people worked less and there was a wage difference between men and women, who mostly worked in lower paying positions.
According to sources in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the employment crisis results in 32% of youth unemployment among urban job seekers. The unemployment rate for this demographic in J&K exceeds industrialised areas because it reaches 32%, while the national unemployment rate for young women reaches 21%, which demonstrates the extent of J&K’s employment crisis.
The data also showed a significant gender difference which showed that female unemployment in urban areas reached 20.8 percent. Urban female unemployment stands at almost five times the male unemployment rate for both rural and urban areas at rate of 4.6%, while 46% of educated youth remain unemployed because they lack suitable job opportunities.
The decrease in female workforce engagement results from two factors, which include economic system barriers and the restricted availability of employment opportunities. The rising number of women who enter the workforce will bring about economic growth while providing proof of reduced gender inequality and female empowerment. J&K researchers have made no efforts to study the decrease in female participation through their analysis of rural and urban population distribution.
The unemployment rate in J&K has continuously exceeded the national average because the region reported a 6.7% unemployment rate during 2024 to 2025 which was nearly double India’s 3.5% unemployment rate. The pattern continues through time because urban youth unemployment reached 32% during 2024 which is almost double the national rate and urban areas showed 10.6% unemployment rate in 2024. It exceeds the 5.1% national unemployment rate during 2025. The region needs more employment opportunities because people between 18 to 50 years old want to work but they face job market challenges which creates economic stagnation in the area.
Women and educated youth continue to suffer the most from this emergency. The situation requires targeted reforms because high job aspirations and high unemployment create a situation which causes social division.
The combination of high educational achievement and high unemployment rates creates two negative effects as it decreases economic output and creates mental health problems through unachieved life goals which result in lost income for J&K. The current system needs immediate policy actions which will first establish programs to help people reach their job goals and then provide them with dependable work opportunities.
The psychological toll, frustration, isolation, and diminished self-worth, further compounds the issue, and turns personal dreams into collective despair. The path to progress requires organizations to implement successful changes. The education system fails to create job opportunities for its graduates. The private sector in J&K operates with significant weakness. The economic development of women who have completed their education faces barriers that prevent their participation. The implementation of specific policies which include incentives for women-owned businesses and development of skills-matching employment and enhanced collaboration between public and private sectors will create significant improvements.
If women in Jammu and Kashmir are completing their education while facing difficulties finding jobs, the region will lose its valuable demographic advantage to underutilization if the existing gap persists.
