Representation and tokenism

NEW DELHI: The Gender Data Portal of the World Bank informs us that roughly 50% of the working age women participate in the labour force, compared to 80% of working age men. Statistics from the International Labour Organization (ILO) reveal that the gender gap in labour force participation is particularly striking in South Asia, and in the Middle East & North Africa where male workers outnumber women by three times. This should not surprise us as even in India, the participation of women in the workforce has still not hit the 50% mark.

Last October, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the Periodic Labour Force Survey Report 2022-23 which said the Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) country has improved significantly by 4.2 percentage points to 37.0% in 2023. The year before (2021-22), the FLFPR for prime working-age (15 years and over) stood at 32.8% in India. The participation of women in the labour market is driven by economic development, education levels, fertility rates, access to childcare and other supportive services, and social norms.

The report zeroed in on a few interlinked factors that led to the lower female workforce. These include: the pervasiveness of various gender-biased societal norms; rising household income; salary or wage disparity; unpaid domestic duties such as child care; or personal commitments in home-making/unpaid care work for elders and the infirm. On the urban front, wage disparity has emerged as a pain point while measuring job satisfaction among women.

A recent DBS Bank-CRISIL survey found that 23% of salaried women in India’s metros perceive a gender pay gap at workplaces while 16% reported gender bias. Affluent women reported a higher perception of pay gap at 30%, while this stood at 18% among semi-affluent women. A similar trend was seen with perception of gender bias at the office with 30% of affluent women asserting they had experienced it. It’s no wonder a mere 1.6% of companies listed on the Fortune India 500 have women at the helm, while the figures stand at 5% for the Fortune India Next 500.

These shortcomings are telling in a nation that had last year passed the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023. This was to ensure women occupy 33% of the seats in state legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament. It’s a tall order when you consider that currently, just about 15% of Lok Sabha MPs and 13% of Rajya Sabha MPs are women. Also, no state has more than 20% women representation in its Assembly.

One could argue the share of women in the lower house represents the highest since independence, but it pales compared to the global average of 26.5%, or the Central and Southern Asia average of 19%. At 10%, Japan lags behind India. But that’s no excuse, if you consider Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway, and South Africa, with more than 45% women representation in their national legislatures.

One cannot understate the importance of encouraging the active participation of women in the workforce. It is not only crucial to foster economic independence, and autonomy in financial decision-making, but it could help fast-track India’s trillion dollar growth dreams.