after rising slightly until female participation has declined thereafter in most income categories but most strikingly among the lower income groups in rural areas income quintiles refer to the monthly per capita consumption expenditure of households more than half of women work as selfemployed for definitions see annex of which most are unpaid helpers the large rise in female participation until and the drop thereafter was among the unpaid selfemployed group unpaid helpers can be agricultural workers within a family shop assistants or street vendors figure