Gist of Daily News Papers Articles/The Hindu /Indian Express-16 Sep 2025

Article :  India’s economic ambitions need better gender data

Published: The Hindu-16 Sep , 2025

Very Important Topic for UPSC/PCS  Mains : GS 1/GS 3

Why in News: The Government of Uttar Pradesh launched India’s first Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Index, a district-level tool to track women’s participation in the economy across multiple sectors. This initiative highlights the urgent need to integrate a gender lens in policymaking, budgeting, and data systems to bridge India’s gender gap and unlock its full economic potential, especially as the country aims to become a $30 trillion economy by 2047.

Key Issues Discussed:

1. Low Contribution to GDP:

• Women contribute only 18% to India’s GDP, which is disproportionately low compared to their population share.
• Around 196 million employable women are outside the workforce, indicating a huge untapped economic resource.

2. Gaps in Female Labour Force Participation:

• Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) has improved to 41.7%, but only 18% of these women are in formal employment.
• There is a high dropout rate after school, skilling, and post-graduation stages, limiting long-term economic engagement.

3. Lack of Gender-Disaggregated Data:

• Most government indices do not break down data by gender, hiding systemic gaps.
• Without gender-specific data, structural barriers remain invisible, slowing policy reform.

4. Ineffective Gender Budgeting:

• Gender budgeting is often limited to women’s welfare schemes rather than being applied across all sectors like infrastructure, education, and energy.
• This leads to misallocation of resources and failure to address underlying inequalities.

Challenges:

1. Structural Barriers to Women’s Employment:

• Women face systemic hurdles such as lack of safe infrastructure, limited access to credit, and inadequate workplace support.
• Example: Women form over 50% of skilling program participants in Uttar Pradesh but very few become registered entrepreneurs due to financial and institutional barriers.

2. Poor Quality of Employment Data:

• Data systems fail to track retention, leadership roles, re-entry after career breaks, and job quality.
• This results in policy blind spots where dropout points are missed.

3. Cultural and Social Norms:

• Societal expectations, safety concerns, and lack of family support restrict women from entering or staying in the workforce.

Steps Taken:

1. Launch of WEE Index (Uttar Pradesh):

• Tracks women’s participation across five economic levers:

• • Employment
  • Education & Skilling
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Livelihood & Mobility
  • Safety & Inclusive Infrastructure

• Provides district-wise insights to guide targeted policy interventions.

2. Gender-Specific Reforms in Transport:

• Example: Data showed low female participation among bus drivers and conductors.
• Led to recruitment strategy changes and women’s restrooms in bus terminals.

3. Scaling Efforts Across States:

• States like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana are considering similar frameworks to leverage the gender dividend.

Way Forward:

1. Institutionalize Gender-Disaggregated Data:

• Make gender-based tracking mandatory across all departments, from MSMEs to transport and housing.
• Move beyond counting numbers to track career progress, retention, and leadership roles.

2. Strengthen Gender Budgeting:

• Apply a gender lens to every rupee spent, not just welfare schemes.
• Link budgets to district-level gender action plans based on WEE Index data.

3. Address Structural Barriers:

• Expand access to credit and finance for women entrepreneurs.
• Invest in safe infrastructure such as secure public transport, workplace facilities, and child care centers.

4. Leverage Technology for Data Collection:

• Use digital dashboards and AI-driven tools for real-time monitoring of women’s participation.

5. Promote Social Change:

• Run awareness campaigns to challenge cultural stereotypes around women’s work.
• Encourage male participation in caregiving roles to balance household responsibilities.

Conclusion:

The WEE Index is a critical first step in making women’s economic contributions visible and measurable. For India to achieve its $30 trillion economy vision by 2047, it must systematically integrate gender into every policy, budget, and decision-making process. Moving women from the margins to the mainstream will unlock not just trillions of dollars in growth but also create a more equitable and inclusive society.