Deep-dive analysis from India's National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019–21 , Telangana benchmarked against All-India averages across key indicators across employment, financial agency, household participation, and experiences of violence.
Employment and Earnings
Telangana shows significantly higher female workforce participation compared to the national average:
- Workforce Participation: 53.3% of currently married women (age 15-49) were employed in the 12 months preceding the survey, which is notably higher than the national average of 31.9%. For men, the employment rate was 97.0%.
- Cash Compensation: Among those employed, 92.8% of women and 94.2% of men reported earning cash.
- Earnings Relative to Spouses: 38.5% of women reported earning about the same as or more than their husbands.
Control Over Earnings and Finances
- Decision-Making on Earnings: 75.2% of married women who earn cash reported that they decide how their earnings are used, either alone or jointly with their husband. In contrast, 68.7% of women reported having a say in how their husband’s earnings are used.
- Financial Inclusion: While 84.4% of women have a bank or savings account that they use themselves, only 31.8% reported having money that they can decide how to use.
- Microcredit and Technology: 24.1% of women have taken a loan from a microcredit programme, and 21.1% of women who own a mobile phone use it for financial transactions.
Household Decision-Making and Autonomy
Women in Telangana participate in household decisions at lower rates than the national average for all three tracked areas (own health, major purchases, and visits to family):
- Participation Rates: 57.4% of currently married women participate in all three decisions, while 12.8% participate in none of them. Nationally, 71.0% of women participate in all three decisions.
- Freedom of Movement: Only 39.7% of women are allowed to go alone to all three specified places: the market, a health facility, and places outside their village or community.
- Sexual Autonomy: 84.9% of currently married women believe they can say "no" to their husband if they do not want to have sexual intercourse.
Ownership of Assets
- House and Land: 63.6% of women in Telangana own a house (alone or jointly) and 42.6% own land. For men, these figures are higher at 74.3% for house ownership and 51.1% for land ownership.
- Mobile Phones: 60.0% of women have a mobile phone they use themselves, and of those, 65.6% are able to read SMS messages.
Attitudes Toward and Experience of Violence
- Justification of Wife Beating: Acceptance of wife beating is high in Telangana. 83.8% of women and 70.4% of men agree that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife for at least one specified reason. The most common justifications cited by women were "neglecting the house or children" (69.0%) and "showing disrespect for in-laws" (67.6%).
- Experience of Spousal Violence: Among ever-married women (age 18-49), 40.4% have experienced spousal emotional, physical, or sexual violence. Specifically:
- 36.7% have experienced physical violence.
- 18.6% have experienced emotional violence.
- 4.5% have experienced sexual violence.
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