It’s crucial to recognise the pivotal role women’s participation plays in driving inclusive and sustainable development in India
India passed the long overdue women’s reservation bill unanimously in the parliament. As Indian women, we must never forget that this victory is a narrative woven with threads of not just struggle but also of hope. The passage of the historic bill celebrates the story of Indian women’s resilience and courage in the face of adversity.
For centuries, Indian women have fought against discrimination, marginalisation, and violence to assert their fundamental rights and reclaim their status in society. Despite facing immense odds stacked against them, Indian women have soldiered on. They have refused to remain silent bystanders and instead became the authors of their own transformative journey.
Women’s participation is key to realising demographic dividends in India. With one of the youngest populations globally, India must leverage its human capital fully. Enabling women’s education and participation in the workforce can contribute to strengthening India’s economic growth over the coming decades. Moreover, prioritising women’s rights makes India a responsible global power. As home to one-sixth of humanity, our nation has an obligation to pioneer models of sustainable development that include women as equal partners.
The country today stands at the 140th rank in the “UN: Women in Politics Report 2023” with a mere female presence of 15 per cent in the Lok Sabha and 13.8 per cent in the Rajya Sabha. In state legislative assemblies, women on average constitute 9 per cent of the total members. Hence, the need for the women’s representation bill stands not just as a matter of political reform but as a fundamental step towards societal progress and inclusive governance. It is not just a legislative necessity but a crucial instrument, as more women in positions of power and influence bring a variety of benefits that extend far beyond gender equality. However, it was disappointing to see the implementation of the same pegged to two factors- census and delimitation. It is an act that will come into force many years after its passing.
The three main pillars of sustainable development—economic, social, and environmental—are dependent on gender equality. According to research by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), doubling the share of women in the workforce would help raise India’s GDP growth rate from 7.5 per cent to 9 per cent. Beyond economic growth, gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It has been 10 years since the Indian government brought about amendments to the Companies Act, making it mandatory for listed firms to have at least one woman on the board of directors. India was the first developing country to introduce quotas for women on boards in 2013. By the end of FY23, over 4,700 women directors were serving on the boards of 3,200 listed companies in the country. The regulatory push has increased women’s representation in Indian corporate boardrooms to 18 per cent in 2022, but a lot more still needs to be done.
The alarming statistic that fewer than 20 per cent of India’s women are engaged in paid employment, compared to over 70 per cent of men, underscores the urgency of addressing this imbalance. Despite the progress made, women still face unique challenges in their leadership journeys. These include unconscious biases, limited access to mentorship and networking opportunities, and the balancing of work and personal responsibilities.
India has spearheaded a normative shift in the narrative on gender equality and empowerment, with a focus on women-led development, and not just simply women’s development. This shift in the narrative on gender norms brings women as actors to the centre stage of the development story. It underlines that women are not just passive subjects but are agents, collaborators, and decision-makers in the stories of transformative socio-economic change. However, while we celebrate India’s efforts to set benchmarks on the global and regional scale, there is also a need for greater reflexivity on the national narrative on women-led development. The participation pitch for women as changemakers will be an incomplete transformative story if it is not matched with implementation and sustainability drive at the local level. It goes without saying that the story of women-led development needs to pay attention to the intersecting axis of oppression and subjugation that women continue to face in India given their positionality on the intersecting axis of caste, class, religion, and region.
This begs the question: if we know women are catalysts capable of great change, why aren’t we doing more to leverage this potential? Just imagine the kind of transformation we could bring about in society if we were to institutionalise this inherent potential of women at a national level! In conclusion, women’s empowerment aligns perfectly with the dream of raising India to new heights of inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development. We cannot afford to squander this opportunity. The time for decisive action is now.
The writer is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray); views are personal