President Droupadi Murmu has said that a low women’s participation rate is concerning, adding that women’s empowerment was both a social justice and economic issue.
Addressing the Foundation Day celebration of the National Commission for Women recently, President Murmu pointed out that it was important to create a space where all women can fully participate and contribute in the socio-economic, cultural, and political spheres. “The low participation of women in the workforce is a major hindrance in the overall development of our country. India is the fifth largest economy in the world and now moving towards becoming a five trillion-dollar economy. A more active role of women would help achieve this goal,” she said in her address, summarized in a release on the Press Information Bureau (PIB) site.
Women’s empowerment and its direct link with their workforce participation has been driving the efforts by Avtar, a premier Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) solutions firm.
Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder-President, Avtar Group, explained the pressing reasons for increasing their share. “There are three reasons for organizations to include more women in their workforce. 1. They deserve the opportunity as they bring a unique diversity with their soft skills. 2. Putting money in their hands means ensuring care for their family and communities as they address education and health. 3. Only when they are present in huge numbers, our country will become a developed nation,” she said.
At around 25% now, women’s workforce participation in India is related to the 3Ms- marriage, maternity, and mobility. For over 20 years, Avtar’s relentless focus and work on increasing women’s workforce participation have created path-breaking policies and practices, especially around hiring second-career women or women on breaks for any of the three reasons. She added, “There are around 1.5 million second-career women in India. They are aged between 25 and 40 years of age with around one to five years of break. They are capable of getting back into the workforce, contributing to the communities around them and ultimately, our economy. If every second career woman gets placed, they are capable of contributing Rs 1 lakh crore to the GDP— that is the potential,” she pointed out.
Dr. Saundarya also observed that the gender gap in the workforce was not an isolated issue. It has a far-reaching impact, including the gender pay gap and the lack of diversity in companies that are unable to optimize the talent available.
