Student Details

Project Title: Female Labour Force Participation

Supervisors: Prof. Mrinmoyi Kulkarni (IIT Bombay) and Prof. Jaai Parasnis (Monash University)

Hi, I’m Anjaly Mathew, a Ph.D candidate at the IITB Monash Research Academy. 

My research explores a deceptively simple but deeply layered question: why do so many Indian women remain outside the paid workforce? What factors underlie their decision-making regarding labour force participation? Using a mixed-methods approach, I aim to map the structural, cultural, and psychological factors shaping women’s work decisions in India and Australia. My goal is to translate these insights into actionable strategies that support gender-inclusive policies in the workplace.

I hold an M.Sc. in Applied Psychology from the Central University of Tamil Nadu. My decision to pursue a Ph.D was shaped by my research experiences, starting with an internship at the Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR), Delhi, where I worked with the Human Engineering research team on a meta-analysis project. I then spent a year at IIM Ahmedabad as an Academic-Research Associate, an experience that reignited my interest in academia and sharpened my curiosity around the intersections of gender, labour, and social systems.

If my work resonates with yours or sparks an idea, I’d love to connect. Feel free to reach out at anjaly.mathew@monash.edu.