Fifty years ago, in 1974, the landmark
report ‘Towards Equality’ was published. The report laid out systemic barriers
that were limiting Indian women’s access to education, employment and politics.
Since then, India has made significant strides in terms of gender equality with
women’s literacy crossing 60% during the last 50 years. This increase is a result
of multiple schemes introduced by successive governments, including the Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao and the changing social outlook towards women’s education.
Additionally, the percentage of women students in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics) streams has increased to 43%. The participation
of women in the workforce has also increased significantly to 41.7% over the
last 50 years. But one should not forget the fact that even this is still much
lower than the global average which stands at 48%. Another caveat in this
context is that this growth has been driven by the unorganised/informal sector.
Despite improvement in education and
participation, there still remains a huge gap in wages with women occupying only
19% of senior management roles. This trend points to the fact that career
prospects for women is still limited, compared to their male counterparts. The
primacy of the informal sector for the spike in women’s participation indicates
that most women, who join the workforce, are not protected by the labour law
instituted by the government. Similarly, the impact of government schemes like
MUDRA and Stand-up India is also limited as it only encourages small scale
businesses.
The current situation indicates that
government schemes alone cannot improve the condition of women in this country.
What are required, instead, are fundamental changes in the infrastructure.
Firstly, it is important to boost women’s workforce in the organised sector.
For that, the government has to ensure that facilities like improved child and
maternity care are introduced. The government can also make a concerted effort
to involve the private sector in improving the working conditions for women. On
the political front, reservation will help increase visibility of women’s
issues in mainstream politics.
One area where India needs to improve
significantly is security as better participation of women in the economy may
not amount to anything if we, as a society, cannot provide a safe working space
for them. The recent tragic incident at RG Kar Hospital in West Bengal was a
stark reminder of women’s safety at workplace. Another issue the government should
look into is the increasing cases of cyber bullying and harassment. Gender
equality is a prerequisite for development. India may have made significant
strides over the years but a lot remains undone.
