June 19, 2024
“The current workforce consists of white collar jobs that have policies and provide conducive environment for more women to participate; labour workforce where there is a sheer need for income levels to enhance; and self-employed workers including unpaid workers working in unrecognised institutions” said Aruna Sharma, Former Secretary of Ministry of Steel and Distinguished Fellow at CUTS International at a virtual panel discussion on Enhancing Women’s Participation in India’s Formal Economy organised by CUTS International on June 19, 2024.
The panel discussion aimed to discuss strategies that would work effectively to enhance women’s participation in India’s labour force within formal as well as informal economy.
India is at a crucial point in advancing gender equality as digitisation and globalisation transform labour markets. The government, as well as corporations, have been implementing initiatives to boost women’s workforce participation, which is vital for economic and social development. However, persisting challenges require both bodies to join hands in order to improve safety, flexibility, and social security, while addressing skill gaps and domestic burdens through targeted interventions.
Speaking in the panel, Abhisek Singh, Team Lead of Prosperiti said “Only 37 percent of the women are currently employed in the workforce as opposed to 78 percent of male workers, and women in rural areas perform better than men ”. He rightly pointed out the need to implement customised regulations tailored to the specific needs of different categories of workers, rather than applying uniform labour laws to all.
Poulami Bhattacharya, Women Entrepreneurship Program Lead of NASSCOM Foundation highlighted the role of SMEs in promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment and mentioned that “Despite many positive impacts on women’s participation in the SME sector, they still face credit gap, digital, and skills gap and thus, the need of the hour is to focus on providing continuous training in simplified ways in these areas”.
“Addressing the trust deficit within the formal economy to create an equitable workplace hinges on two key principles: the state’s duty to protect and businesses’ duty to respect. To foster an inclusive workplace, it is essential for the government to invest in R&D to help businesses make more gender-inclusive investment decisions”, said Aishani Rai, Senior Associate of Aapti Foundation.
Mukta Arora, Technical Consultant, UN Women focused on fostering women’s safety and skill sets in India’s informal sector. According to her, “There is a need for Skill Gap Analysis in the informal sector as there exists a mismatch between the skills required in the industries and the skills possessed by women workers. At the policy level, India should prioritise women’s access to financial resources and skilling through a sectoral need-based approach”
Speaking in the webinar, Yamini Atmavillas, Director of Gender & Equity, Dasra said, “One of the biggest issues in India’s informal sector is the absence of a proper workplace. As a consequence, the majority of the informal work, especially works performed by women, happens either in the home or in fields”. Adding onto the discussion, she mentioned, “India is experiencing a transition away from traditional labour roles towards self-employment, leading to a lack of formal workforce. To adapt, we should adopt a sector-specific approach that considers existing benchmarks and trends”.
Dhanya M B, Fellow at V.V. Giri National Labour Institute said “State governments are facilitating access to education and specialised skill training through community-led training centres, managed by State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs). This initiative is empowering women in the informal economy, fostering a business-oriented mind-set among them”.
The panel discussion served as a pivotal platform to engage in constructive dialogue on the challenges confronting the women workforce in India and explore pragmatic solutions through need-based assessments to promote their welfare and economic empowerment to make workplaces more inclusive and diverse. The panel rightly emphasised the necessity for customised regulations and further research to improve the working conditions of all workers with a special focus on women across different sectors.
For further details, contact to:
Deepmala Ghosh, Research Associate, dgh@cuts.org
Tasmita Sengupta, Research Associate, tse@cuts.org