Sukanya Sarkhel

Welcome to my personal website!!

I am an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Department of Management Studies at St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata (since 2008). My academic training includes an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Calcutta. Title of the Thesis: Work Participation, Earning Difference and Gender: An Enquiry into the Role of Social Institutions 

Prior to joining academia full-time, I served as a Senior Researcher on a European Commission–funded project at Leiden University in the Netherlands titled “Development of Low-Cost Technology for In-Situ Treatment of Ground Water for Potable and Irrigation Purposes.” This interdisciplinary engagement strengthened my interest in the intersection of environmental sustainability, public policy, and development economics.

My research lies at the intersection of development economics, gender economics, and social sector policy. I am particularly interested in understanding gender bias in labor market outcomes, intra-household dynamics, and institutional determinants of women’s economic participation.

My work has been published in leading international journals, including Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (ACS), World Development, Review of Development Economics, and Journal of South Asian Development. I have also served as a reviewer for academic publishers and journals such as Sage and Springer.

My ongoing research focuses on menstrual hygiene practices and their socioeconomic implications in India, gender disparities and the motherhood penalty in the workplace, policy interventions aimed at improving women’s labor market outcomes. Through empirical research grounded in micro-level data, I seek to contribute to evidence-based policymaking that advances gender equity and inclusive development.