How women can power the nation in the next 25 years

Why is the LFPR of women so low in India?

One in five Indian women is in the labor force; Four out of five are neither working nor looking for work. There are several reasons: lack of demand for women workers; Poor working conditions, including low wages, safety concerns and exploitation; girls with long studies; travel; Singletizing households where there are fewer women to share household responsibilities; and the ‘middle income effect’ where women stop working because there is enough income in the household. Much of this is rooted in deep patriarchy and the neglect of women’s claim to their equal place in the world of men.

Why is it important to increase the LFPR of women?

Research and experience highlight that when women have money, they spend it for the betterment of their family. From Brazil’s Bolsa Familia to the Prime Minister’s Garib Kalyan package for women with Jan Dhan accounts, policy makers have tried to take advantage of putting money in the hands of women. One way to do this is to ensure that more women have jobs, higher wages and equal pay. If we improve the labor force participation of women, we not only harness the huge productive potential of half the population, but their earnings will yield huge dividends for the future of the country and the economy.

What is needed to improve employment of women?

Continuous efforts should be made towards community sensitization to root out patriarchal social norms. In addition to enforcing existing rules such as the minimum wage, there should be supportive policies in place, including childcare; safe transportation; Light; safety at Work; and quotas in hiring, corporate boards and politics to promote more women in leadership.

What obstacles do we face?

Power disparities are hard to fix, especially when it depends on changing practices. Men who are blind to their privilege, or will be forced to share their privileges, will resist change. Discrimination resulting from lack of labor market demand for women workers is the result; In policies like honorarium in lieu of salary of Anganwadi and ASHA workers; Instead of working hard to ensure equal opportunities, results and genuine choices, there is an over-reliance on online and offline home-based work for women.

What happens if we don’t take action?

A concerted effort to advance gender equality should be a central priority over the next 25 years. Evidence shows that economic disempowerment of women can result in losses of as much as 10% of GDP in industrialized economies and more than 30% in South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. India’s GDP may increase by approx. 3 trillion if women were brought into the labor market and given access to formal, ‘decent’ work opportunities.

(Sabina Dewan is the President and Executive Director of JustJobs Network)

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