Skilling women: An imperative for India

3 out of 4 Indian women don’t work. Can skilling programs and guaranteed jobs change that?

By Saurabh Adeeb

One thing that the world certainly envies India for is her young demographics. Whilst the working population in developed countries is decreasing due to an ageing population, India’s median age is merely 28 years. When seen through the lens of economics, a younger workforce would be an advantage, translating to development and growth. However, even as a section of India’s youth propels the country to become a global power, many are left behind in the process.

While 37.1 per cent of the youth are in the labour force, there is a stark difference between the participation rate of men (57.1 per cent) and that of women (12.7 per cent). India lacks a coordinated labour structure and gender parity. 3 out of every 4 women in India do not take part in any recognized economic activity. In such a scenario, when more than half of our youth do not participate in the formal labour force, it is difficult to realise India’s demographic advantage.

One of the ways to narrow the gender gap in India’s workforce is to focus on the country’s 253 million youth (aged 15-24 years), of which 48.5 per cent are young women. Connecting aspirations with skills and empowering women can help them achieve their full potential, thereby also bringing equitable growth in society. A skilled and employed women workforce not only has a generational impact but also has the potential to rewrite the future of the country.

Social structure and roles

India’s case regarding women's labour participation is both complex and multi-layered. With the government’s increased focus on primary education policies, India has been quite successful in getting children into the realm of educational institutions. According to the latest Annual Status of Education (ASER) Report, by the age of 14 most rural youth were enrolled in schools. On the flip side, global studies have shown that even though the percentage of women among all STEM graduates is highest in India (43 per cent), even more than the UK or USA, their participation in related work is significantly lower (14 per cent). This suggests that there are other issues to be addressed — either literacy does not translate into relevant skills for employment or there exist social, historical and cultural hindrances.

One of the most common obstacles for women to enter employment is the stereotypical gender biases, which put women at a disadvantage as compared to men. While an Indian woman spends 25 per cent of her time performing unpaid care and domestic work, a man only spends 2.5 per cent of his time on such activities. Such disparities change women’s priorities and keep them away from the formal workforce. Women unemployment in the age bracket of 30 to 59 years increased to 65 per cent in 2018 from 46 per cent in 2005. It is prevalent for women to take up domestic unpaid labour and caring roles after finishing education and entering into marriage.

The women who work earn far lesser than men in India when compared to other countries like South Africa, Brazil and Chile. It is timely and urgent that India drives advocacy and restructures its incentives to give greater impetus to the female gender and brings equity in development and labour force, as well as unlock leadership potential for social and economic transformation.

Empowerment of women is a critical part of a nation’s development and it is a balanced equation of her health, education, decision-making power and employability. Availability of agency and removal of constraints faced by women is critical for sustainable and equitable development of both, the community as well as the nation. India needs to adopt a gendered lens in education and skilling programs to overcome the challenges of an underrepresented section of youth in the workforce, as well as support women in securing and retaining jobs.

Skilling is the key

Studies suggest that by the next decade, 75 million women will join the workforce in India (Niti ), with over 90 per cent of them employed in informal sectors. This necessitates an urgency to enable women to expand their learning opportunities and chart pathways for themselves, which could keep them off of exploitation, abuse and unequal pay at work.

Innovative thinking and social restructuring need to be evolved to make a shift by bringing young females to formal education and training programmes and, thereby, the workforce. Raising women participation in the workforce can boost India’s GDP by 27 per cent. The use of technology, promotion of incubation space and setting up of upskilling centers would equip and enable women to participate in the ongoing fourth industrial revolution. However, as data suggests that only 35 per cent of Indian women are active internet users, it should be taken into consideration that skilling programs that enable access and include digital training can become equalisers bridging the digital divide.

In addition to vocational training, foundational and 21st-century skills are crucial to empower women in building a strong foundation for employment. Programs such as those by NSDC and The/Nudge Centre for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (CSDE) take such holistic approaches to skilling and employment. An extra effort to onboard young women onto such platforms has a huge payoff for the community. For example, 41 per cent of enrolments at The/Nudge CSDE are women.

Literacy alone is unlikely to translate into gainful employment, until and unless focused support is extended to the female labour force, particularly young women. What we need is a bouquet of women-centric enablement initiatives comprising socio-economic support, relevant skills, guaranteed jobs and investments to lower barriers and carve out an accessible gateway for women to enter into various sectors of the economy and contribute to India's progress.

(The author is Senior Director at The/Nudge Centre for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship)