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gender gap

Climate Change’s Gendered Impact: Stories of Women on the Frontlines

by Guest Author 08/12/2024

written by Guest Author

By Arthita Banerjee

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, and its impacts are felt around the world. But the effects of climate change are not felt equally by all, and women are often on the frontlines of its impact.

As Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated, “Climate change is a man-made problem, but it is women and children who bear the brunt.” But in the face of melting ice, droughts, and natural disasters, women have emerged as the true guardians of our planet, facing the impacts of climate change with unwavering courage and determination. From grassroots activists to national policymakers, women are bringing a unique perspective and skillset to the table, as well as a deep commitment to building a more just and sustainable future.

In the Arctic, Inuit women have been known to use traditional knowledge to adapt to the melting ice and changing landscape. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, and this has had a significant impact on the traditional lifestyles of the Inuit people. Inuit women are using their knowledge of the land and sea to find new ways to adapt.^¹ They are using traditional sewing skills to create clothing that is better suited to the warmer temperatures, and they are developing new hunting techniques to catch different types of animals that are now migrating to the area.

In Africa, women are using sustainable farming techniques to grow crops in the face of drought and extreme weather. According to the United Nations, women produce up to 80% of the food in Africa, but they are often excluded from decision-making processes and lack access to resources like land, credit, and education.^² In 2020, a group of women in rural Senegal launched a community-led reforestation project to restore degraded land and protect against desertification. The project, called “Mujeres por la Tierra” (Women for the Earth), involved planting thousands of trees and shrubs and creating new community gardens. The women also developed a sustainable agriculture program and a beekeeping cooperative to generate income and support local food security.

In January 2021, a group of women farmers in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu successfully used a traditional farming technique called “system of rice intensification” (SRI) to increase crop yields and reduce water usage in the face of drought.^³ The farmers, who were trained by a local NGO, were able to produce 1.5 times more rice per acre while using 30% less water than traditional methods.

In the Pacific island nation of Tuvalua, a group of young women presented a petition to the United Nations calling for urgent action on climate change. The women, who are members of the Tuvalu Climate Action Network, have been working to raise awareness about the impacts of sea level rise and ocean acidification on their small island nation. They are also advocating for stronger climate policies and increased support for vulnerable communities.^⁴

Indigenous women in the Ecuadorian Andes have taken up sustainable agricultural practices and landscape management in the páramo ecosystem. The aim of these initiatives is to restore the ecosystem’s health, which has suffered from years of overgrazing and desertification, resulting in vast areas of barren and depleted land. The women-led efforts are also breaking down gender stereotypes and providing opportunities for women to participate in decision-making processes in their communities.

From renewable energy to sustainable agriculture, women-led innovation in the climate space is breaking new ground. Muthoni Masinde, a Kenyan software engineer and entrepreneur has successfully employed technology to tackle climate change and promote sustainable agriculture. Masinde is the founder of AI-powered agri-tech startup, called “The TechFarm,” which helps farmers optimize their crop yields using real-time weather data and predictive analytics.^⁵ Her platform is enabling smallholder farmers to improve their productivity and resilience in the face of climate change, while also reducing the environmental impact of agriculture.

The legacy of women in the climate movement is one of resilience, determination, and visionary leadership. Rachel Carson is often credited with starting the modern environmental movement with the publication of her groundbreaking book “Silent Spring” in 1962.^⁶ The book drew attention to the damaging effects of pesticides and other chemicals on the natural world, and helped to spark a broader public awareness of environmental issues. Since then, women have been at the forefront of the climate movement, from grassroots activists to scientists and policymakers. Women like Wangari Maathai, who founded the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, and Greta Thunberg, inspiring a global youth climate movement, women have become powerful symbols of the urgent need for action to address climate change.

08/12/2024 0 comments 33 views

सफाई करने वाली महिलाओं की स्थिति

by Rajesh Singh 08/12/2024

written by Rajesh Singh

राजेश ओ.पी.सिंह

एक अध्ययन के मुताबिक कूड़ा बीनने वालों में 80 फीसदी संख्या महिलाओं की है और ये सब महिलाएं दलित समुदाय से सम्बन्ध रखती है, जैसे कहा जाता है कि सारे दलित तो सफाई कर्मचारी नहीं है परन्तु सभी सफाई कर्मचारी दलित ही है। भारत में कोई महिला या पुरुष अपने काम की वजह से सफाई कर्मचारी नहीं है बल्कि वह अपने जन्म के कारण सफाई कर्मचारी है, भले ही वह ये काम करना चाहती/चाहता हो या नहीं । यहां यह सब जाति और पितृसत्तात्मक सोच के कारण है।

आधुनिकता व तकनीक से परे कूड़ा बीनना आज भी देश का सबसे कम वेतन वाला और सबसे ख़तरनाक काम है, जिसमे लगभग 600 सफाई कर्मचारी प्रतिवर्ष मृत्यु को प्राप्त होते हैं।

सफाई करने वाली महिलाओं में लगभग 39 – 41 फीसदी वो महिलाएं हैं जिनके पति सफाई करते समय मर गए, उनके देहांत के बाद इन्हें अपने पति के स्थान पर बड़ी मुश्किलों से ये नौकरी मिली हैं । इन महिलाओं में केवल 0.03 फीसदी महिलाओं ने ही 10वीं तक की पढ़ाई की है। जब इन्हें नौकरी पर रखा जाता है तो क्या नियम व शर्तें होएंगी इसके बारे में इन्हें अनपढ़ता की वजह से कुछ भी जानकारी नहीं दी जाती और इससे इन महिला सफाई कर्मचारियों से कम वेतन पर ज्यादा घंटे काम करवाया जाता है। जिसका इनके स्वास्थ्य और परिवार पर प्रतिकूल प्रभाव पड़ता है।

सफाई करने वाली महिलाओं का जीवन विभिन्न चुनौतियों को एक साथ झेलता हुआ चलता है, सबसे पहले इन महिलाओं को नौकरी करने के साथ साथ अपने घर के सारे काम करने पड़ते है वहीं दूसरी तरफ घर की आजीविका भी इन्हे ही चलानी होती है,और बच्चों को पालना ,उनका ध्यना रखना ये सब कार्य भी इन्हे करने पड़ते हैं। क्यूंकि अधिकतर महिलाओं के पति या तो मर चुके होते हैं या फिर जो जीवित होते हैं उनमें से लगभग सभी के सभी अपनी कमाई का 65-70 फीसदी हिस्सा शराब व अन्य नशों में खर्च कर देते हैं ,इसलिए परिवार की सारी जिम्मेदारियां महिलाओं पर ही रहती है।

इंडियन एक्सप्रेस की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक कोरोना काल में दिल्ली नगर निगम में मरने वाले कुल 94 कर्मचारियों में आधे से ज्यादा संख्या (49) सफाई कर्मचारियों की है। अब इन परिवारों में सारी जिम्मेवारियां घर की महिलाओं पर आ गई है अब या तो इस काम को वो खुद करेगी या फिर उनके बच्चे। यदि वो खुद करना शुरू कर देती है तो निश्चित रूप से बच्चों पर ध्यान देना उनके लिए बहुत मुश्किल होगा, इस से बच्चों का पढ़ाई छोड़ना और अन्य कार्यों में संलिप्त होने की सम्भावना ज्यादा है या यदि बच्चे अपने पिता के बाद सफाई का काम शुरू करते है तो निश्चित रूप से उनकी पढ़ाई रुक जाएगी। ये व्यवस्था बहुत लंबे समय से चली आ रही है, अब इसमें सुधार होना चाहिए क्योंकि बिना किसी सुधार के इनकी आने वाली पीढ़ियां भी अनपढ़ रह कर इसी काम में संलिप्त रहेगी। हालांकि सरकार ने कोरोना में मरने वाले इन सफाई कर्मचारियों के परिवार को एक एक करोड़ रुपए और एक नौकरी देने का वादा किया है परन्तु ये अभी एक दो लोगों को ही मिला है।

अब प्रश्न ये उठता है कि इतनी बड़ी संख्या में सफाई कर्मचारियों कि आकस्मिक मृत्यु क्यों हुई? इसके पीछे सबसे महत्वपूर्ण कारण ये है कि कोरोना के समय में जब हम सब लोग घरों में बैठे थे, तब इन सफाई कर्मचारियों को अपना जीवन दांव पर लगाकर प्रतिदिन सफाई करने के लिए घरों से निकलना पड़ रहा था, वहीं 93 फीसदी सफाई कर्मचारियों ने माना कि सरकार की तरफ से उन्हें ना तो मास्क मिले, ना सेनेटाइजर और ना ही पीपीई किट। प्रोटेक्शन के बिना कार्य करते हुए कोरोना संक्रमण ने इन्हे अपनी चपेट में ले लिया जिस से बड़ी संख्या में इन्हे अपने जीवन से हाथ धोना पड़ा है।

टाटा इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ सोशल साइंस ने एक रिपोर्ट में दावा किया है कि सामान्य तौर पर एक सफाई कर्मचारी की मृत्यु 60 वर्ष की उम्र से पहले ही हो जाती है, अर्थात सफाई कर्मचारियों कि औसत उम्र 60 वर्ष से कम है। इसके पीछे मुख्य कारण ये है कि सफाई के क्षेत्र में आधुनिकता के समय में भी तकनीकों का अभाव है और इसके साथ साथ सफाई कर्मचारी को अपने पूरे जीवन गंदी हवा में सांस लेना पड़ता है, ऐसे क्षेत्र जहां से आम महिला या पुरुष गुजरे तो भी उन्हें अपनी नाक बंद करनी पड़ती है, परंतु उस बदबूदार जगह पर इन सफाई कर्मचारियों का जीवन गुजरता है। गन्दी हवा में सांस लेने से इन्हे सांस के अनेकों बीमारियों से संक्रमित होना पड़ता है। इसके साथ साथ हमने पाया है कि प्रत्येक शहर या गांव के किसी कोने में इन लोगों को झुगी झोंपड़ियों में अपना जीवन व्यतीत करना पड़ता है, जहां पर ना तो पानी की व्यवस्था होती है, ना बिजली की और ना ही शौचालयों की। गन्दा पानी पीने से इन्हे फेफड़ों और पथरी की समस्या से जूझना पड़ता है। शौचालय ना होने कि वजह से इन्हें घंटो घंटो तक प्राकृतिक दवाब की रोकना पड़ता है, जिस से पेट की बीमारियों का खतरा निरन्तर बना रहता है। इन कर्मचारियों में महिलाओं की स्थिति और भी ज्यादा नाज़ुक है ,क्यूंकि इन्हे ज्यादा कार्य करने की वजह से व सही खान पान ना होने से और काम उम्र में शादी और मां बन जाने से इनके शरीर में कमजोरी रहती है, जिस से ये बहुत कम उम्र में ही बूढ़ी और असहाय दिखने लगती है।

जिन महिलाओं के पति नहीं है उन्हें अपने दिन के लगभग 16 से 18 घंटे कार्य करना पड़ता है। एक सफाई कर्मी महिला सुबह 5 बजे उठ कर खाना बना कर काम पर निकल जाती है जहां सात बजे से दस बजे तक सफाई करने के बाद 10.30 बजे तक घर पहुंचती हैं इसके बाद घर की सफाई, कपड़े धोना, दोपहर का खाना, नहाना आदि में उन्हें 4 बज जाते हैं, इसके बाद कुछ शाम को भी सफाई करने जाती है तो उन्हें कम से वापिस आकर रात का खाना बनाने में 9 बज जाते है और 11 बजे तक सब काम निपटा कर सो पाती हैं, इस थकान भरे दिन में वे अपने बच्चों और खुद के स्वास्थ्य का बिल्कुल ध्यान नहीं रख पाती और उसका नुकसान उनकी पूरी पीढियों को भुगतना पड़ रहा है।

इसके लिए सरकार द्वारा कोई विशेष उपबंध और तकनीकों का प्रबन्ध करने की आवश्यकता है ताकि इन सफाई कर्मचारियों की स्थिति में सुधार आए और इनके बच्चे स्वस्थ रह सकें और उन्हें किसी मजबूरी में पढ़ाई ना छोड़नी पड़े।

Image Courtesy: BBC

08/12/2024 0 comments 29 views

Shattering the Glass Ceiling in Corporate Workplaces: Six Progressive Policies Every Organisation must Adopt

by Mani Chander 08/12/2024

written by Mani Chander

By Mani Chander

Women aren’t just good for a company’s image. There is overwhelming evidence that enhancing gender diversity and equality at the workplace has a massive upside for any organisation’s growth. However, employers continue to underpay women despite having the same deliverables and educational qualifications as their male counterparts. To this day, few women find place in leadership roles, particularly on boards and in executive positions in companies. Even those who do, earn significantly less than males in the same leadership roles.

In the United States and United Kingdom, women still make up fewer than 30% of board members and 10% of CEOs among the biggest companies. The numbers are much worse in India. An analysis of the annual reports of 1,747 companies listed on the National Stock Exchange showed that the gender pay gap between male and female directors doubled in FY19 from what it was a year ago. It was also found that women executive directors earned 45% less than their male counterparts in the last fiscal year as male CEOs and CXOs took home bigger salary increments. Moreover, salaries of women Executive Directors remained almost stagnant. This persisting lack of recognition and lower pay scales disincentivises women to join the workforce.

So, what must organisations do to bridge the gap?

Conduct Gender Parity Audits

Organisations, at regular intervals, should conduct both pay and diversity audits. Conducting pay audits would help organisations identify where any conscious or subconscious pay gaps exist and bring in policy interventions to taper them. For example, Iceland, the only country that has ever come close to bridging the gender pay gap, has adopted the Equal Pay Standard which requires companies with over 25 employees to have their accounts audited every three years to obtain a government certification. While India may not have any such legislation, this change should be driven by organisations voluntarily. Right from recruiting to promotions and appraisals, diversity audits must also be conducted. Successful ventures such as Accenture, Barclays, Credit Suisse UK and KPMG have all set gender targets, broken down by business segments and functions. Having clearly defined interim targets enables them to continually measure themselves against their goals. Some organisations have even gone so far as to ensure diversity amongst temporary workers. Take Coca-Cola India for instance, which conducts audits to ensure that half of its interns are women. Diversity and inclusion shouldn’t just be the buzzwords that make your business sound good, instead employers must make honest internal assessments to identify the gaps accurately and execute ideas to narrow down the disparities.

Nurture Women in Leadership Roles

Having women in leadership roles can contribute significantly to the growth of an organisation. This makes sense for two reasons: first, women make close to 80 percent of household purchasing decisions, and second, and they account for a projected $18 trillion in spending worldwide. Leading employers have started to recognise that it is not only important to give women a seat at the table, but also nurture their talents. A worldwide study of 22,000 companies concluded that having at least 30 percent of women in the C-suite (a firm’s most senior executives and members of corporate boards) results in adding additional 6 percent to the overall net profit margin. Similarly, a 2020 McKinsey report found that companies which score highest on executive-level gender diversity have a 48 percent likelihood of outperforming industry peers on longer-term value creation of economic-profit margin than those who rank lowest in executive-level gender diversity. Having a woman’s perspective when making business decisions, therefore, is not only necessary but critical for any business.

Enforce Measures to Prevent Workplace Sexual Harassment

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 mandates companies that have over 10 employees to report the number of sexual harassment cases as well as the steps taken for redressal. However, many companies continue to disregard mandatory compliance of the provisions of the Act and those who “comply” have been found to do the bare minimum. Companies must recognise that timely redressal of workplace sexual harassment is of paramount importance, for non-compliance can lead to massive litigation costs and reputational risks. Research indicates that sexual harassment at workplace has adverse psychological effects on women which often results in distraction and poor performance at work. A pro-active approach towards raising awareness about sexual harassment will not only ensure a safe and enabling environment for women, but also enhance productivity of women at work.

Include Paid Paternity or Parental Leaves

Unfortunately, questions as to whether you are married, have kids or plan to have kids are important considerations for most employers when hiring. It is also for these reasons that women are typically the first casualties when employees are being laid-off. This must change. Organisations should shift their mindset to assessing performance based on achievements and deliverables. Rather than penalising women for choosing to have a family, employers must facilitate them. One effective way of doing this is by adopting paid paternity leave policies so that men can shoulder some caregiving responsibilities that women are often solely burdened with. With a little extra help at home, women’s productivity levels at work could increase substantially, resulting in better economic outcomes for businesses.

Adopt “Blind-screening”

Employers should focus on promoting meritocracy rather than placing reliance on indicators that have little to no correlation on performance and deliverables, such as gender. In an interesting research, women software coders were found to be of higher quality, but only if evaluators did not know their gender. One effective way of doing this is by employing a “blind-screening” strategy when considering candidates at the time of hiring, promotions and appraisals. Efforts should be made to remove any gender-coded language even in job descriptions and during interviews. Besides, the management should actively and periodically engage with hiring managers and HR teams to chalk out formal diversity and inclusion objectives. When HR and recruiters genuinely believe that this is a top priority for the organisation, they are more likely to make deliberate efforts to deliver such outcomes. Encouraging employees involved in hiring and performance reviews to undergo unconscious bias training would also help build a culture of inclusiveness.

Implement Flexible Working Arrangements

One thing the pandemic has changed is the customary perception of productivity being directly proportional to office hours spent. With work from home being tried and tested across most industries, it is not surprising that the productivity of people has in fact gone up. Be it telecommuting, remote working, flexible working hours, condensed work weeks – employers may tailor and adopt these strategies to engage talent and enable more women, particularly mothers and women in their mid-careers, to participate more efficiently. However, employers must ensure that privacy and work-life balance are maintained.

More than anything, women at work deserve equality and neutrality, a seat at the table where decisions are made, a place where the viewpoints they put forth are well-taken without interruption. This is not a big ask, yet after 73 years of independence, the women’s fight for independence continues. Although the legislature has brought in a slew of policies to bridge the gap, a lot more needs to be done. It is time for India Inc. to come out of oblivion and lead the gender diversity and inclusion drive through adoption of progressive internal policies. If this is done, it won’t be long before companies begin to realise that enabling and bringing more women to the workplace is a profitable prospect which is sure to have long-term social and economic benefits.

* Views are personal. This piece is the fourth in the series “Bridge the Gap” presented by The Womb. The author of the series is a Delhi based practicing lawyer who holds a special interest in gender justice. She is also admitted to the New York State Bar and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, United States.

08/12/2024 0 comments 23 views

The Dichotomy of Indian Women: Underpaid and Overworked Across Sectors

by Mani Chander 08/12/2024

written by Mani Chander

Mani Chander

Did you know Serena Williams is paid less than Rodger Federer? Did you know Mithali Raj, the Indian Women’s Cricket team captain earns merely 7% of what Virat Kohli does? A top Indian women’s cricket player earns less than a male cricketer with the lowest-level Grade C contract, and while films with a male lead make $40 million at the box office, those with a female lead earn less than a quarter in Bollywood. Ever wondered why it is so rare in India to encounter a female Uber driver? Did you know that men Uber drivers earn at least seven percent more than women Uber drivers? Or that freelancing males make on average 50% more than their female counterparts?

The answer to these unsettling questions point to two predominant correlational factors – women have fewer economic opportunities and are persistently paid less compared to men. This reality spans across sectors and professions, even when years of experience, hours worked, and educational background of a man and woman are identical. Studies reveal that women are paid approximately 34% less than men for performing the same job with the same qualifications. Besides, societal norms, biases in recruiting and gender-based occupational segregation directly influence women’s occupational choices and in turn, their earnings.

The sectors where women are overrepresented are conventional, low-paying occupations. Even where women are over-represented, they are paid much lower than men for the same work. Take for instance, the agriculture sector – although 74% of the agricultural labor force consists of women, yet the wage gap is significant. Similarly, women in academia and those involved in care work, such as domestic workers are also paid considerably lower than their male counterparts. On the other hand, women continue to be substantially under-represented in stereotypically “male professions”, particularly in senior leadership positions. As per data from the World Economic Forum Report 2020, women in the country account for only 14% of leadership roles and 30% of professional and technical workers. An appalling 8.9% of firms have females as managers in India.

Now, consider the prospects of women in a heavily male-dominant establishment such as the Indian army, for example. Until February 2020, women were inducted into the army through short service commissions, which only permitted them to serve 10 to 14 years, resulting in widening of the gender pay gap. Interestingly, the Central Government had opposed the inclusion of women in command positions before the Supreme Court of India claiming that women officers must deal with pregnancy, motherhood and domestic obligations towards their families. The Central Government went so far as to make the preposterous argument that women are not well suited to the life of a soldier in the armed forces. However, the Supreme Court held that the Government’s plea was based on discriminatory gender stereotypes and directed the Government to grant permanent commission and command positions to women officers at par with men. One must ask, what the future beholds for women in a country whose own government – that is mandated by the Constitution to promote gender equality – questions their ability to perform at par with men?

The situation isn’t much different when it comes to politics. Even in the political space, women lack opportunities for growth at every level and continue to be extremely under-represented. Despite a massive push from various stakeholders, the Women’s Reservation Bill is yet to see light of day. It is not uncommon to find women being incessantly undermined and interrupted by men as they speak on the floor of the Parliament, on TV and on Twitter. In a study of more than one lakh tweets mentioning 95 prominent female leaders, it was found that one in every seven tweets that mentioned women politicians in India was “problematic” or “abusive” while one in every five was sexist or misogynistic. Such pervasive toxicity is bound to drive women away from politics and leadership roles which directly impacts the gender gap.

The industry of entertainment and sports also suffers from gross pay disparities. In Bollywood, movies with women leads make much less revenue when compared to those with male lead actors. Typically, even women-centric movies that do well have prominent men as leads. Television commercials continue to reinforce the stereotypical subservient woman on screen. The near-religious fever of the Indian people for the sport of cricket too is selective when it comes to men and women cricketers. A professional football player gets between Rs. 65 to 70 lakhs while a female footballer earns between Rs. 5 to Rs 10 lakhs. In Hockey, the gap widens as we see a minimum of ten-fold wage gap. So, do we only bleed blue for our men?

Across sectors, no profession remains untouched by the gender pay divide. Is it not disconcerting that four out of five women in India do not work? Yet, those who do are penalised every step of the way, with constant discrimination and ostracisation that reinforce the misconception that it’s okay to pay women less. It is not okay, and the problem won’t correct itself. It is time we consciously acknowledge the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes and engage collectively to create a level playing field for all women – in farms or fields, boardrooms or courtrooms, schools or screens, parliament or entertainment among others, and foremostly, in our homes.

* Views are personal. This piece is the second in the series “Bridge the Gap” presented by The Womb. The author of the series is a Delhi based practicing lawyer who holds a special interest in gender justice. She is admitted to the New York State Bar and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, United States.

08/12/2024 0 comments 25 views

The Widening Gender Pay Gap is a Looming National Crisis

by Mani Chander 08/12/2024

written by Mani Chander

Mani Chander

Of 153 countries, India is placed at an abysmal 149^th position in economic participation and opportunity according to the Gender Gap Index Report of 2020. Over the last few months, this gender gap has further exacerbated as many women continue to take substantial pay cuts and have lost jobs owing to the pandemic. An Oxfam India report estimates the economic loss from women losing their jobs during the pandemic at about $216 billion – this would mean knocking off a striking 8% from the country’s gross domestic product. It is for this reason that the gender pay gap should no longer be viewed as merely a social problem. A national crisis is before us and we must deal with it head-on.

So what’s causing this “She-cession”? Since the onset of the pandemic, reports across the world suggested that women are more likely than others to bear the economic burden. But this has turned out to be particularly true for Indian women. Not only do fewer women work in India when compared to other countries, but they also get paid way less than working women in other countries. Besides, Indian women are more vulnerable due to our inherently patriarchal society as marriage and maternity typically take center stage in a woman’s lives. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development statistics, on average, women in India spend almost 352 minutes per day on unpaid work such as household chores, childcare and looking after elderly parents, as opposed to just 52 minutes by their male counterparts.

Prior to the lockdown women in India contributed 18% to the country’s economic output, about half of the global average. Now, with the coronavirus outbreak this percentage is set back even further due to the unreasonable expectation that women, by default, are exclusively responsible for all household duties. In essence, working women are now juggling multiple roles. Their domestic help is no longer available, children are off schools and older parents who are vulnerable to the virus require special care. For these reasons, women are dealing with additional stress leading to reduced productivity at work, and as a result, they are being increasingly perceived by employers as easy targets for pay cuts and layoffs.

Unlike other countries, where women who are laid off are compensated with social security benefits, Indian women are left bereft of such benefits in case of layoffs. Self-employed women and those who are employed on a temporary or contractual basis are particularly disadvantaged as they have little to no security or legal protections to fall back on. While many other countries have offered comprehensive unemployment insurance to working women facing hardships, women in India are further handicapped by the sheer lack of it.

The most significant factor that puts India at a back-footing when compared to other countries, however, is that a majority (ranging from 88 to 95 percent) of women continue to work in the unorganised sector, many of whom are migrant workers who were forced out of jobs due to the pandemic. Their employment is concentrated in labour intensive, low-growth and low-productivity sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and construction. Over a period of time, women in these sectors are likely to lose more jobs with the surge in mechanisation and automation. Interestingly, McKinsey Global Institute in a 2019 Report estimated that up to 12 million Indian women could lose their jobs by 2030 owing to automation in these sectors. Without question, such a catastrophe would halt or even reverse any progress made towards enhancing women’s participation in the workforce.

The female wage in India is 60-65% of the male wage since the last three decades. Before the pandemic unleashed, the World Economic Forum in its Global Gender Gap Report of 2020 painted a grim picture. It indicated that it would take a century to reach pay parity. If we continue to ignore the economic inequalities caused by the pandemic, any prospects of closing the gap even in the next 100 years will be further hampered.

It is evident that the effects of the pandemic are gender conscious, so it stands to reason that our efforts to overcome them involve a gendered response. What India needs is an effective re-evaluation of its policies and targeted interventions by the civil society, government and private sector. Instead of reinforcing mechanisms and cultural norms that push women out of jobs, it is time we begin investing in women as the pillars of nation building – by rewarding them with equal pay for equal work, if not more.

Let’s bridge the gap.

* Views are personal. This piece is the first in the series “Bridge the Gap” presented by The Womb. The author of the series is a Delhi based practicing lawyer who holds a special interest in gender justice. She is admitted to the New York State Bar and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, United States.

08/12/2024 0 comments 26 views

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