INTRODUCTION
Cooperatives have been a vehicle for enabling workforce participation of informal women
workers, in the experience of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Cooperative
Federation. With the World Bank estimating women’s labour force participation at 19 per cent for
India in 2021, it is imperative to take policy measures that facilitate the entry of women into the
workforce, particularly younger women.
Through cooperatives, young women have the means not just to participate in the labour
market, but also to become decision-makers in their own enterprises. At SEWA Cooperative
Federation, we find a need to promote cooperatives through awareness-building activities
among groups of young women, as well as to build an enabling environment for these
cooperatives to grow and scale, particularly in non-traditional sectors of work.
