Female Labor Participation in India and Structural Adjustment

India adopted the structural adjustment programs (SAP), required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1991. The SAP has been questioned since its inception in the early 1980\u27s, at the pinnacle of third-world debt. Criticisms towards SAP range from the questionability of a country\u27s sovereignty (a by-product of IMF\u27s intervention in the policy-making processes) to the implementation and eventual outcome of its policies. Indeed, several authors argue that these programs have contributed to the deterioration of the social conditions of third world countries rather than improving them. This paper will empirically analyze the effects of SAP in female labor participations in India. The objective is to evaluate the consequences of SAP in India\u27s most economically depressed population, and to provide a platform for future research and assessments