Measure Every Action for Gender Empowerment Impact

When it comes to women’s economic participation, it is well known that the share of women who are employed or looking for work has been steadily declining over the past decade and a half. One in five women over the age of 15 is in the labor market. This decline in female labor force participation can be attributed to a number of factors: for example, girls’ longer stay in education and delays in their entry into the labor market; Or the middle income effect, where household incomes are high enough so women no longer need to work. But these desirable factors explain little of the decline. Unfortunately, undesirable factors are big drivers.

Sectors such as construction, which have seen high growth over the years, are structurally biased towards women. Lack of demand for workers in women-friendly industries such as apparel and footwear, and the continued social disapproval of women working outside the home, are contributing factors. Other reasons include migration and the segregation of households, where there are fewer women at home to contribute to domestic work. Job location also matters to women: how far they have to travel and how safe it is. These factors have an impact on women’s ability to balance household responsibilities with income generation.

As the world tries to recover from the pandemic, we must acknowledge that the road ahead for women is longer and more difficult. Women, especially the youth, were the worst hit by the pandemic and their recovery has also been the slowest. The lack of proper work among women is more evident. Even in non-crisis times, women are paid less for the same work and often face poor working conditions. Women are also more vulnerable to layoffs, and face greater barriers to re-entering the labor market than their male counterparts. United Nations Women and UNDP analysis shows that approximately 435 million women and girls were living on less than $1.90 per day; 47 million fell back into poverty as a result of the COVID-related shocks.

Women comprised a large part of the workforce in some sectors that were hardest hit by the pandemic. For example, a large proportion of women directly and indirectly depend on supply chain-linked employment, so the disruptions had a major adverse effect on women’s employment. Women make up just under 90% of the essential workers in health and care institutions that were on the front lines. For example, about 1 million ASHA workers were an essential part of the last-mile response, although their average compensation is approximately 3,000 per month hardly matches his valuable contribution. Most of the teachers are women, and as schools closed, the livelihoods of many were affected. Furthermore, as the lockdown kept families at home and children out of school, the burden of home care increased, with women more than men.

Instead of addressing the root causes of declining women’s labor-force participation and promoting equal opportunities for women in work and equality in outcomes, policymakers and society often engage in emerging forms of digital work (particularly home-based). ) keep your hopes up. To enable women to engage in income generation.

However, not only are such opportunities very few, they distortly feed on the patriarchal norms of keeping women at home. This approach supports the facilitator on the urgent need to enact, enforce and enforce laws that enable women’s work especially outside the home. For example, ensuring that workplaces have separate bathrooms, childcare, protection and implementing equal pay are all critical to promoting women’s labor force participation. Women also need initiatives that enable access to education, skills, upskilling and reskilling as well as career guidance and advancement opportunities. And with this, there is a need for continuous campaign to eradicate patriarchy. Otherwise, we’re only addressing the symptoms, not the cause.

Inaction on these fronts not only holds women back, but also inhibits economic and social progress on almost every dimension of welfare. Gender equality and increased economic participation of women are associated with greater development, less income inequality and better development outcomes. Some estimates have suggested that, by 2025, India could increase its gross domestic product (GDP) by $0.7 trillion if it improves its low and falling female labor force participation. And it doesn’t account for the many contributions that women make that go unaccounted for in the data. These are well-known facts, and yet women continue to face obstacles in the face of insufficiently comprehensive, long-term actions needed to improve their economic empowerment and outcomes.

The narrow range of interventions when it comes to women’s work and economic participation limits the manufacturing systems that actually enable women’s equality in labor markets, economies, and societies. We need to consider every action—legislative, policy, administrative, judicial, corporate, civil society and much more—that is gender progressive. It will shed light on what exactly addressing women’s economic empowerment and participation can help – for the benefit of all.

Sabina Dewan is President and Executive Director of JustJobs Network and Senior Visiting Fellow at the Center for Policy Research