The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is one of the largest right-s based public employment initiatives worldwide, conceptualized to improve the livelihood security of rural India by providing wage employment guarantees. For almost two decades, MGNREGS has been extensively studied for its implications on women’s employment, wage equality and empowerment. This paper presents a thematic narrative review to compile diverse scholarship on the gendered effects of MGNREGS in rural India. By referencing the literature on development economics, gender studies, political economy and governance, this review will critically assess the evidence on employment generation, wage trends and women’s empowerment.

The results indicate that MGNREGS has contributed substantially to women’s participation in the labour force and has led to reduce the gender gap in wages because of the provision of equal wages. Empirical research points to better income security, financial inclusion and access to local governance institutions. However, the potential of the scheme in bringing about a structural change is not uniform. Structural factors such as delayed wages, unpaid career work, caste, governance and disparities are some of the factors that hinder the potential of the scheme in bringing about the outcome sin terms of empowerment.

The review points out the gaps in research which include a lack of longitudinal studies, a lack of integration of unpaid care work in impact assessments and a lack of exploration of intersectional vulnerabilities. The review concludes that although MGNREGS has empowered women economically, its potential for bringing about structural gender transformation is dependent on institutional changes and sensitivity to context.