Why India needs a gender inclusive workforce

On her high-profile visit to India, the First Daughter of the United States and White House adviser Ivanka Trump highlighted a fact that is increasingly dominating public discourse in the country — that Asia’s third-largest economy needs to amp up the participation of women in its economy and reduce the gender gap at the workplace.

US President Donald Trump’s daughter remarked that if the yawning gender gap in the Indian job market is whittled down by half, the country’s economy could grow by more than $150 billion (Dh551.7 billion) in the next three years. “Only when women are empowered to thrive, will our families, our economies and our societies reach their fullest potential,” she said.

A report by the International Labour Organisation goes a step further to say that India’s economy could gain a whopping $1 trillion if it closes the wide gender gap in employment by 2025. Another report by McKinsey Global Institute 2015 reveals that women contribute just 17 per cent to India’s gross domestic product, compared to the global average of 37 per cent. India also lags far behind most countries — including its arch rival China — and even regions like sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America as Indian women represent only 24 per cent of the labour force that is engaged in any form of work in the market, compared with an average of 40 per cent globally.

Worse, between the second employment-unemployment survey conducted in 2011-12 and the latest in 2015-16, participation of women in the Indian labour force has plummeted and unemployment has risen. This is indeed baffling as the number of number of women enrolling for higher and vocational education across the country has been on the upswing. The economy too has been on an uptick. So why are these benefits not percolating down to ensure women’s augmented participation in the workforce?

It is no rocket science that a nation can’t progress unless its women are given equal access to opportunities. The government has tried to push female employment through programmes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, where one-third of the employment opportunities are set aside for women. Private organisations and non-profits like Self Employed Women’s Association too, have strived to create an ecosystem to engage and employ women. But certainly there has been no concerted institutional push by the Central government to frame an employment policy for women. As a result, Women in India continue to grapple with a range of structural and social barriers in fully participating in the economy. Across India, women-owned small and medium firms are denied access to capital, networks and equitable laws. This not only hampers women’s progress, but also forecloses the gains that can accrue to the economy through a diverse workforce. Organisations therefore need to proactively foster an environment that encourages women to contribute to business progress.

However, a few social issues will need to be addressed before that. The real and perceived threat of gender-based violence discourages Indian girls and women from leaving their homes and is used by some parents to justify marrying off daughters before the legal age of 18. There are numerous instances of rapes and sexual assaults on girls and young women across the country as well. Needless to say a safe work environment is imperative for women to step out and work.

Women have played a pivotal role in the socioeconomic growth of India since Vedic times. In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi is the deity of wealth and fortune; Saraswati, the deity of learning; and Durga, the deity of power. In diverse fields such as politics, arts, literature, sports and education, Indian women have been role models — from sportswomen like Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal to fighter pilots to Indian Space REsearch Organisation’s women scientists who sent a record 104 satellites into orbit in a single mission.

A United Nations report, based on data from 219 countries, says that for every one additional year of education for women in the reproductive age, child mortality is reduced by 9.5 per cent. An Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development report, based on a study of Fortune 500 companies, establishes that companies with more women directors had significantly higher financial returns. Investing in women is thus a great way to propel economic growth.

Achieving gender-based equality and women’s emancipation is thus the need of the hour. But it requires a combination of thought-leadership, with an inclusive government policy. In fact India can’t realise its true potential unless its women — who constitute nearly half of its 1.3 billion population — are given equal access to opportunities and adequate safety and security.

The conversation around women in leadership roles is an important one. Simply because gender diversity at the workplace is not an empty slogan, but fuel for businesses to innovate and prosper. The sooner India realises this, the better.

Neeta Lal is a New Delhi-based editor and senior journalist.