Women's struggle for illusive safer spaces & economic opportunities

"No economy grows bigger, no society becomes better without its women’s betterment"so can India progress on its much touted potential without her women?

? ? ? I am writing down this piece? in the wake of the #RG medicalcollege case, but the gruesome violences, atrocities, discrimination of every sort against women is a bitter realities that our women face everyday in our country. Whether, We like to face it or not but we cant wish away the fact is that every 3rd minute a rape is committed somewhere and no place seems to safe enough for a women including the street nearest to our home. I don’t want to sound a Cassandra, but not expressing this reality will be a moral dishonesty with the very women;-mother, sister, daughter, friends and colleagues, whom we put on pedestal to deify in every social talk and corporate discussions. Moreover being in healthcare industry where 80% of the employees are women, so its, sort of, an imperative to say it aloud. In India, the violence against women and the lack of security is a reflection of the deeper patriarchal architecture of the society, our fractured & criminalised politics, and law & order failures, lack of economic independence coalesce into bigger vicious cycle for women. One issue for women leads to another issue,? and the more the violence the lesser space for women to seek her rightful place in the society. They loose agency and bear consequences that are mostly invisibilized. Lets also keep it mind that the women security is a complex phenomenon as it involves not only physical safety but a? psychological and emotional aspect of safety as well where social dogmas, family architecture, right to choose, right to wear, right to access all become an integral part of their perception of safety. That’s why violence of any type gravely exacerbates women’s predicament. This is one of biggest single reasons crippling their chances of bettering their lot and also deprives the nation their meaningful contribution to the GDP growth of the country along with other various social indicators. Undeniably, we have progressed a lot economically, but the gap between our economic success and social progress for a woman is widening and leaving a lot more to be done affirmatively, urgently and without any doubt convincingly.?If you look at some of the statics, concerning our women, they reveal a grim picture

?? ? ? If you observe various reports including of CMIE show a shocking fall in women employment from 27% in 2017 to 14% in 2023. This fall of 12% has plummeted India’s Global Gender Parity ranking to 112th, and Global Economic Gender Gap to 149th out of total 152 countries. In the female labor participation rate amongst Asian peers, India is only ahead of Pakistan, Afghanistan. Its a fact which must make us feel ashamed. While unemployment par se has been a tricky challenge for the govt, but women employment is too serious a topic to avoid discussion, and the statics are really horrible and there is no debate in media or policy circles!

?? ? ? while the corona precipitated the women issues and caused direct loss of 6% in female employment. But the situation has gone from bad to worse. The female jobs are so low, and that too 97% of the female jobs are still in the informal sector comprising agriculture, daily wagers & small industries.

? ? ? ? Agriculture alone is 60% of that 97%. Only 3% of female jobs are in formal economy that are urban centric. This colossal lack of opportunity in jobs for females robs them their due prosperity and progress in every walk of life. The average unemployment rate may hovers around 8%, but for women it still is upwards of 18%, especially for the urban women who has to deal with nuclear family structure.

?? ? ? We are a young country with an average age of 29 years. It's a rare demographic boon but likely to turn into a bane, if not handled daftly. As half of this boon is our women who with poor safety & security, and lack of opportunities cant be employed gainfully. Imagine just a 10% rise in women employment can add a whopping $770 billion to the Indian economy studied by McKinsey’s global institute. What a wasted contribution !

? ? ? Today, our women contribute merely 17% to the Indian GDP. A number that is just half of the contribution observed in many others leading economies of the world,? and a much lesser contribution against the 40% by Chinese women to their economy. Not having employments opportunity for women with their skills of production, creation and management is a sheer wastage of the boon which could catapult the economy into a higher orbit of growth.

?? ? ? Historically, no leading economy has ever seen a breakout growth without her women’s equal participation in their economy. Be it the US, UK, China, Japan, France or Canada for that matter. So, how do we expect to turn our aspirations of leading the world without 50% of our population ( women) amply secure & safe and gainfully employed?

?? ? ? We may have made phenomenal strides on education levels for women or won medals in the olympics but these are individual successes but the lived reality of a common women still questions our every notion of progress like the rape case of #RGMEdicalCollege, Unnao, or most recently a nurse rape case in Uttrakhand. The lack of safety & security keep them caged and the lack of employment opportunities doesn’t let them realise their rightful aspirations of being an equal.

? ? ? ? We may have draught, deluge and phantasmagoric ecological challenges to deal with? but we must? not forget that the realities of our common women whom we owe our lives should get not only the justice but their rightful dues in every form be it social, political or economic.