Suhani Bhatia
← Work

Independent analysis · 2026

Accounts moved. Paid work did not keep pace.

Independent research · NFHS national time series · ecological cross-section

The question

Own-use bank accounts among Indian women rose 25.6 points between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. Did paid work move with them?

+6.3 ppWomen who worked in the last 12 months and were paid in cash: 17.2% to 23.5%.

+25.6 ppOwn-use bank or savings account, same rounds, women 15–49.

Financial inclusion and employment are different stories, even when policy speeches braid them. The agency note on this site asks about household decisions. This note asks about paid cash work. Both sit far behind accounts. I do not stack a causal model on two national points. The finding is descriptive and, for that reason, hard to wave away.

Financial inclusion increased substantially faster than the agency and paid-work measures between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5.
Bank or savings account she herself uses53.078.6Participates in three household decisions84.088.7Mobile phone she herself uses45.954.0Owns house or land, alone or jointly38.443.3Worked in the last 12 months and was paid in cash17.223.5

Pale bar: NFHS-4 (2015–16). Dark bar: NFHS-5 (2019–21). Women 15–49. Decision-making is currently married women who usually participate in three household decisions. Source: IIPS and MoHFW, NFHS India reports.

Source: IIPS / MoHFW NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 India reports, indicators as published. Stata do-file in the agency artefacts folder reads the companion CSV; paid-work national totals are in the dictionary.