What Does it Take? Rural Women, Migration and the Road to Work

Rural young women’s journeys into the workforce are shaped by far more than just the availability of jobs or skills — they are influenced by aspirations, social norms, and the conditions that make work feel possible and sustainable.

The challenge of creating meaningful livelihoods is not only about job creation or skilling, but also about how young women come to see formal, paid employment as accessible, desirable, and worth pursuing — and what enables them to stay.

This report by the JustJobs Network and PRADAN brings this often-overlooked dimension into focus. Drawing on fieldwork from Odisha, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, it shows that while technical skills matter, successful transitions into employment depend equally on social norms, exposure, mobility, family support, and access to opportunities.

The discussion will engage with critical questions:
🔹 Why do many pathways to employment remain out of reach, even when skills and opportunities exist?
🔹 What shapes rural young women’s aspirations and decisions around work and migration?
🔹 What kinds of support systems are needed to enable not just entry into work, but sustained participation?
🔹 How can policy better account for the social and structural barriers that women face?

The JustJobs Network and PRADAN cordially invite you to the report launch:

📅 Date: April 30, 2026

🕥 Time: 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM (followed by lunch)

📍 Venue: India Habitat Centre, Tamarind Hall, New Delhi