Abstract
This article posits that the mechanisation of agriculture and security risks have significant negative effects on India’s female labour force participation rate. Despite remarkable economic progress in India, aggregate female labour force participation rate still show a declining trend since the late 1970s and traditional explanations such as decreasing fertility rates, rising wages and education levels could not completely explain this trend in female labour force participation. Using time-series data from 1980, we find evidence that the share of agriculture to the GDP, the mechanisation of agriculture, and security risks are the key determinants of female labour force participation.