Skilling of Women
Freedom of women from the vicious circle of social, political, economic and gender-based discrimination is as indispensable as curbing down the female foeticide. It is essential for them to be skilled in order to be able to serve their families at home as well as professionally. Meritude Skill Development Pvt. Ltd looks at it more meaningfully in the wake of economic liberalization and globalization plus India’s existing demographic dividend.
The policy and institutional framework for developing skills, providing vocation education and training has widened the possibilities for economic empowerment of women however, as per an NSSO data, only 27% of women are participating in the labour market (i.e. either employed or seeking employment). It is believed that apart from cultural factors, one of the key reasons for low participation of women is due to unavailability of suitable employment opportunities that could be mapped with their skill sets.
The NSSO data also points out that women earn less than men (0.63 times) and only 4% of them are in regular wage/salaried employment. The remaining 96% are either self-employed or casual labourers dependent majorly on agriculture. And we all know that agriculture in India is at the mercy of monsoons and monsoons are habituated of playing hide and seek with the people.
According to a study[1] conducted by Action Aid, “lack of quality education, proper training, lack of financial resources and accessibility to education and training” was considered to be the key barriers that prevented young urban women from joining or accessing work force.
Why are women dropping out?
Research suggests it is driven by both the demand and supply side of the labour market. On the supply side, economists have long noted a U-shaped relationship between years of education and FLFP- Female Labour Force Participation. At awfully low levels of education and income, women have no choice but to work to help support the family. But as men in the family start earning more income, women tend to cut back their work in the formal economy to concentrate more on household activities.
It is the women in the middle - those who are literate but have at most some schooling or have only completed high school - who are squeezed both by the pressure to stay at home and by a lack of plentiful jobs that match their intermediate level of skills and education.
Regardless of the limitations, these women are willing to contribute to the mainstream economy and opt for a sustainable livelihood for themselves and for their families.
These women are looking forward to an opportunity that can provide them with functional education and employable skills to make them ready for the urban job market. The aim of skill development, in case of women, is not just simply preparing them for jobs; but also to boost their performance by improving the quality of work in which they are involved.
Keeping this context in mind, Meritude SDPL is ever upscaling the program on livelihood by imparting focused skill development/enhancement training for poor urban women on one of the most modern day job skills in the emerging sectors of the country such as Telecom, IT/ITES/BPO, retail, accountancy, etc.
Watch this space for more exciting news from Meritude SDPL. We find happiness in skilling.
[1] Young women: life choices and livelihoods in poor urban India, October 2012, Actionaid.