6. Micro-Insurance: Women and the Informal Economy

Women constitute a substantial portion of labour force in the informal economy. In countries like India, Indonesia and the Philippines, the share of women in home-based work is more than 80%. The following table gives an overview of the share of women and men in non-wage employment:

• It is safe and secure for women to stay at home and carry out home-based economic activities and also look after children or carry out their reproductive role at the same time.
• The income earned by women usually gets add-on to the family earnings and thus, helps improve the standard of living of the household.
• Since women in developing countries are less educated, they have fewer opportunities in formal economy set-ups and therefore, end up taking up informal work.