Bridging gender gap is key to human progress

I will begin with the well-known story of Sudha Murthy who, as a young engineer aspiring for a good job, found that the vacancy notice of TELCO discouraged women from applying. Not willing to take no for an answer, she wrote a letter to JRD Tata (incidentally, the founder of Population Foundation of India), in which she said, “The great Tatas have always been pioneers... But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender.”

What followed, as they say, is history. JRD Tata received the letter, intervened, and Sudha Murthy was not only interviewed, she later became the first woman engineer of TELCO, and the company’s gender policy was changed for good. Her experience is a part of the Tata group website now.

It is fitting that the theme of this year’s World Population Day is not about numbers but women. ‘Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities’ means women’s progress is the key to societal progress. UN Secretary General António Guterres’ recently remarked, “We cannot achieve any of the SDGs without gender equality.” This powerful statement says it all – women should have education, professional opportunities, and representation in politics. Social and systemic barriers that stop them from moving must come down.

Women in India

Much has changed in India in the past few decades. The country has made a conscious effort in making progress on girls’ education and women’s empowerment. All-women crews – which include pilots – fly to destinations in India and abroad, even as women take up their assignments on frontier posts alongside men as they don military uniform. Female life expectancy is now 71, which is almost 30 years more than it was in 1960. The maternal mortality rate, which was 437 in 1992-93 has declined to 97 in 2018-20 (SRS, 2020). The number of children a woman had in the 1950s was nearly six, which is now down to two. More girls and women have been freed from impositions such as early marriage as they aspire for a life of fulfilment and meaning.

Unfinished agenda

Women’s development, participation and empowerment, however, remain unfinished agendas. Girls and women, particularly from rural areas and from lower income groups, face an uphill struggle to educate and skill themselves and have fulfilling careers. I am reminded of the story of Annu Kumari, a girl who joined our Kishori Samooh in Bihar’s Nawada district. Annu would have been married off like the other 40% girls of Bihar (and nearly one out of every four girls in India) before the age of 18. But committed to a having a career, Annu was helped by Sheila Devi, the Kishori Samooh in-charge. They persuaded her parents to let her study. Annu Kumari worked hard and succeeded in becoming a policewoman. She is now a role model for hundreds of other girls.

The success of Annu Kumari is sweet. But what isn’t is the struggle that lies in the path of every other girl in Bihar (and India). In Bihar, nearly 40% (national average is 23%) of girls are married before they turn 18.

According to the World Economic Forum Annual Gender Gap Report for 2023, India has shown progress by moving up eight places to rank 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity. While the improvement is good, it doesn’t befit India – the fifth largest economy in the world – to be in the bottom tier in gender parity.

Hurdles for women

This is indicative of the road blocks women have to encounter at every step. If every girl and woman must struggle before they can assert their right to equality of opportunity, it indicates not just a bias but a malaise in society which needs to be cured through a change of attitudes and perceptions.

Data reveals that women do not get timely medical attention. The median time taken to diagnose illnesses since the onset of a symptom was more prolonged in women than in men. At the same time, women participants in trials have been found to be less than men, even when there are more women patients for that disease.

There are far fewer women than men in politics, which limits raising of women’s issues in appropriate forums. Around 20 states in India have reserved 50% of their panchayat seats for women. As on June 28, 2023, there were a total of 115 women parliamentarians is in place (82 in Lok Sabha – 15.1% of total seats – and 33 in Rajya Sabha – 13.9% of total seats). I do hope the number of women in India’s legislative bodies at the Centre and states grows in the near future.

Investing in women

Eliminating long-standing inequities between men and women in their access to education, health care, and economic opportunities calls for continuous and sustained investments in girls and women. 

Women's education, employment and household income play a crucial role in determining fertility rates. For instance, women with no schooling have a TFR of 2.82 (NFHS-5), whereas the TFR among those with 12 or more years of schooling is 1.78. Similarly, women from the lowest wealth quintile have a TFR of 2.63, and those from the highest wealth quintile have a TFR of 1.57.  

Additionally, the significant gender gap in employment rates reflects gender inequalities in employment opportunities. Men are three times more likely to be employed compared with women in the age group of 15-49 years. 

The need for boosting higher education and employment opportunities for women is obvious. It is only when men and women enjoy equal opportunities will maximum benefits accrue to society. It is the only way to bring about transformational changes in society. 

India needs to reap its population and gender dividend right now. Tomorrow will be too late.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)