Editorial: Bridge the gender gap

Ground realities pertaining to women’s education, safety, security and equal opportunities at workplaces are far from encouraging

Hyderabad: International Women’s Day is not about rhetorical slogans, Archie cards, discount sales or motivational quotes but an occasion to reflect on their current status in society and the issues that impede their growth and genuine empowerment. In the Indian context, women’s empowerment — economic, social, political and cultural — is still a work in progress. There is a need to close the gender gap across all these spheres. Catchy slogans like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ may have helped in promoting public awareness about girl child education but the ground realities pertaining to women’s education, safety, security and equal opportunities at workplaces are far from encouraging. The atrocities against women are on the rise while the conviction rate continues to be poor. At 21%, India has one of the lowest female participation rates in the workforce across the world. It is less than half the global average. No matter which cluster of countries one compares with — high income or low, highly indebted or least developed — India comes off worse. The dismally low labour force participation rate can be attributed, at least partially, to the restrictive cultural norms regarding women’s work, the gender wage gap and the lack of safety policies and flexible work offerings. The sharpest decline has been in the case of Scheduled Tribe women. The labour force participation rate, which includes those who are employed as well as those who are as yet unemployed but seeking work, is one of the important indicators that reflects the economy’s active workforce.

Despite growth in the economy and the working-age population in India, the participation of women in the labour force has been declining. According to the World Bank, Indian women’s participation in the formal economy is among the lowest in the world — only parts of the Arab world fare worse. This is an alarming trend when seen against the backdrop of increasing crime against women and widespread gender discrimination. The pandemic has only worsened the situation, impacting women disproportionately because a majority of them work in informal sectors, characterised by lower-paying and less secure jobs, income volatility and the lack of a robust social safety net. One of the key indicators of gender equality in a parliamentary democracy is the extent of women’s representation in Parliament. The present Lok Sabha has only 14% women MPs while the Rajya Sabha has 11% representation. Increasing the representation of women in Parliament would have an enormous impact on what issues are raised and how policies are shaped. Besides, it would create room to reform and revise discriminatory laws against females. The Women’s Reservation Bill must not be allowed to languish. Political parties should not only reserve 33% of their party tickets for women in parliamentary and State elections but also reserve at least 33% of their organisational positions for them.