Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Why Urban Jobs Are Becoming Unaffordable for Indian Women
More Indian women are being counted as workers, but getting and keeping a job is not equally affordable for everyone.
Women who move to cities such as Delhi for their first job may need to pay extra for safe housing.
They may also spend more on transport, especially when travelling late at night.
Dalit and Muslim women can face discrimination when searching for homes, which may limit where they can live.
These extra costs are especially difficult when starting salaries are around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per month.
Some women also need sick leave because of painful periods, but many workplaces provide only a limited number of leave days.
This can leave them with very little money saved and few days to visit family.
The article argues that policymakers should study urban women from different social groups separately.
That would show why the same salary can provide very different opportunities for different women.
India’s female workforce participation reached 40% from January to December 2025, nearly doubling from 23.3% in 2017-18.
The increase is concentrated among rural workers and may partly reflect a definition change classifying subsistence and domestic work as self-employment.
First-generation Dalit and Muslim women often face higher costs for safe housing, transport and relocation when taking entry-level urban jobs.
Housing discrimination can force Muslim and Dalit women into more expensive accommodation, longer commutes and repeated brokerage payments.
Menstrual health costs and limited leave can further reduce women’s savings and ability to travel home or remain employed.
- Who
- Indian women, particularly first-generation Dalit and Muslim women entering formal urban employment.
- What
- The article examines how safety, housing discrimination, transport, living expenses and menstrual-health-related leave make urban jobs difficult to afford and sustain.
- When
- The examples cover 2023-25; the featured case began a corporate job in Delhi in 2024, while workforce data covers January-December 2025.
- Where
- Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, with particular discussion of Delhi’s housing and employment costs.
- Why
- Women from marginalized communities may pay higher costs to live safely and remain employed, reducing their savings and limiting career choices.
- Female workforce participation
- 40% from January to December 2025, compared with 23.3% in 2017-18.
- Entry-level salary range
- Estimates cited in the article place monthly starting salaries at roughly Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000.
- Featured salary and rent
- Ayesha earned Rs 40,000 per month and paid Rs 18,000 for paying guest accommodation in Delhi.
- Additional employment costs
- Conversations with 10 women suggested differential safety and related costs could equal 10%-15% of a fresher’s take-home pay.
- Housing response rates
- One cited study found a landlord response probability of 0.35 for an upper-caste applicant and 0.22 for a Muslim applicant.
- Menstrual health
- A 2015 study of about 1,000 women found that at least 70% experienced dysmenorrhea, or painful menstrual cramps.
- Leave policies
- Many Indian companies offer 18-21 combined earned, sick and casual leave days annually; one worker’s employer offered 18 days.