Question

Study the following table carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Sectoral composition of workforce in India, 2011
Categories	Populations
	Persons	% to total workers	Male	Female
Primary	26, 30, 22, 473	54.6	16, 54, 47, 075	9, 75, 75, 398
Secondary	1, 83, 36, 307	3.8	97, 75, 635	85, 60, 672
Tertiary	20, 03, 84, 531	41.6	15, 66, 43, 220	4, 37, 41, 311

1. Why is the large difference between primary and tertiary categories of female workers? (1)
2. Explain the reason of low variation between male workers of ‘primary’ and ‘tertiary’ sectors. (1)
3. Why ‘secondary sector’ has low contribution in India’s workforce? (1)

Answer 1

1. The primary sector (agricultural) has a substantially higher female involvement rate because it often requires manual labour, which is available in rural areas. The tertiary sector (services) typically demands greater levels of education and specialised skills, while female literacy and mobility have traditionally been lower.
2. The low variation indicates that male workers are nearly equally distributed between traditional farming roles and the increasing service industry. This represents a shift in which many males have migrated or transitioned into service jobs (such as transportation, trade, or administration), while a considerable number continue to cultivate their ancestral farms.
3. India’s economy famously “skipped” a major manufacturing phase, instead shifting immediately from agriculture to services. The secondary sector is tiny as a result of slower industrial expansion, fewer large-scale manufacturing hubs, and a workforce that frequently lacks the specialised technical knowledge required for factory jobs.