Women and the economic development of a nation are inseparable terms. Yet, women’s contribution towards the economy of a nation is considered in no way equal to that of men. There’s no limit to what women can achieve, as Michelle Obama quoted in an instance. Yet, their achievements have often been falling between the cracks since ages. Coequally, Indian women have been contributing to the nation’s economy for centuries and throughout history. However, their work, efforts and contributions have always been tossed aside. Today, as India stands out as the fifth largest economy, it’s time to evaluate the role of women in the economic development of India.
Role of Women in the Economic Development of India Throughout History
To add concrete to the fact that Indian women have been contributing to the nation’s economy for ages, there have been unprecedented milestones set by them over the periods of Indian history. Starting from the pre-independence era, women’s involvement in the nation’s economic development is immeasurable. Women were the active participants in agriculture, dairy farming and handicrafts industry. Moreover, the role they played in creating sustained livelihoods in the process of generating income for their families laid bricks to early entrepreneurship in various sectors. In the early years after independence, the Indian government introduced several policies and programs to encourage female empowerment. These programs helped women improve their skills and grab opportunities, thereby making them potential contributors to the Indian economy.
Going forward, during the 1960s and 1970s, the Green Revolution happened. This phenomenon called the need for modern farming techniques and consequently increased the participation of women in agricultural activities. In the early 1990s, economic reforms were initiated, which liberalised the Indian economy. Women, thereby, found new opportunities with the expansion of industries, services and the emergence of the IT sector. Sectors such as banking, finance, software development and others saw significant female contributions.
Over the past few decades, women’s entrepreneurship has been on the rise. Women stepped into the world of business and began running enterprises across various sectors like technology, e-commerce, fashion, healthcare and many others. This resulted in creating new employment opportunities, thereby amplifying economic growth.
Women’s Contribution to Indian Economy in the Present Day:
Though several factors turned detrimental to their growth over the years, women emerged as warriors in their own right. Today’s India isn’t built just by men, for women too have been playing a significant role in building the country’s economy. Here’s how women’s role in strengthening the nation’s economy can be substantiated.
The role of Women in the Economic Development of India became important when they began taking part in the country’s labour force and have been a part of various sectors like agriculture, manufacturing and services. Along with increasing productivity, their contribution has increased the overall GDP of the country. Also, by starting various business ventures ranging from small-scale to large corporations, women have been creating employment opportunities alongside driving innovation. Over the years, the knowledge and skills that women acquired helped them secure better jobs, and earn more income, thereby enhancing their financial status. The contribution of women to the fields of agriculture and rural development is inconceivably vast. Their involvement in these fields not only helped in crop production and animal husbandry but also paved the way to upgrade rural livelihoods, consequently reducing poverty.
Above all, Indian women are shining bright in several professional spheres like engineering, medicine, finance, research, law, media and entertainment, among others, contributing to the wealth of industries in specific as well as to that of the nation as a whole. Their roles as teachers, financial advisors, academicians, lawyers, administrative officers, researchers etc., is undoubtedly a reflection of increased skill development as well as the economy.
Additionally, women are taking the roles of decision-makers, policy creators, directors, managers and other leadership roles in various sectors. This is, in a way, helping to create gender-responsive policies leading to sustainable economic growth.
If Women Have Always Been the Contributors to the Economy, Why Was There Limited Recognition?
Stereotypes and traditionally defined gender roles attributed informal and unpaid work to women. According to the stereotypical notions, a woman’s primary role is within the household. They are not considered to be the breadwinners. Their contributions to the economy were often in the form of informal activities such as agriculture, home-based work etc. They were consistently involved in unpaid care work like household chores, childcare, eldercare etc. Such work was irregular in nature, never on paper and had no fixed and formal wages. Moreover, being involved in such work has drained their time and energy, as a result of which, they are left with limited resources for participating in paid employment or entrepreneurial activities, constraining their economic participation. Being involved in unrecognised labour also made estimating of their economic contributions close to impossible.
Also, they were given limited access to education and resources. Unequal access to skills and opportunities made them fall behind men in making significant contributions to the financial sphere. Women lacked voice and representation in higher positions that required policy and decision-making. Deep-rooted societal norms and patriarchy set limits to women’s economic independence. They were viewed more like a liability owing to societal practices such as dowry and early marriages rather than being seen as powerhouses of potential. Additionally, there were no proper methodologies to record women’s contributions to the economy, as traditional economy measurement tools or indicators failed to tap on informal and unpaid work. This led to the underestimation of women’s economic contributions.
Wage discrimination is another reason that discourages women from taking up occupations in certain sectors. Undervaluing women’s labour led to their reduced participation in the workforce. They began to prioritise household work rather than choosing paid employment, especially as the wages have got to give no justification to their time and effort. This practice of paying lower wages to women contributed to lower economic wellness in households paving the way to poverty. Indirectly, this led to other heartbreaking consequences. Lower incomes of women gave them limited access to education, finances, healthcare and other essential basic needs – this extrapolated to their families as well. The whole generation thus led a life of poverty that hindered their social and economic growth. Shockingly, there’s another side to this, which is never thought of – Lower wages discourage women to invest in higher education and skill enhancement. If they knew that they get fewer returns compared to men on their educational investments, who would show interest in spending money on education, which is of course not less than a man’s investment?
Sadly, women chose to step back from grabbing employment and entrepreneurial opportunities owing to security and safety concerns including harassment and violence. Also, legal and regulatory barriers like discriminatory laws, lack of protection against harassment and discrimination, limited property rights etc have been affecting role of Women in the Economic Development of India
How did the Change Begin? What Helped in Increasing Women’s Contribution to the Economy?
Over time, awareness began to spring, and people started realising the extent of women’s contribution to the economy. The work of a housewife has come to be recognised as the most underrated, unpaid and difficult job ever that often helped members of the house go out, earn and get a life. Government and social organisations initiated several programs to address gender disparities, thereby encouraging equality and women empowerment. Families and society as a whole began to realise how education empowers girls and women. Government-initiated legal and economic reforms, together with the market opportunities promoted skill development and employment opportunities to women in various sectors. Several legal reforms that encouraged equal pay, maternity benefits, workplace safety etc. increased women’s representation in various sectors.
With education and employment, societal norms and attitudes also began to change. Though there has been considerable change in the society, still, it takes decades to break social barriers and bridge gender gaps to fully promote women’s participation in creating a more inclusive and equitable economy. Women, too, have come out of their cocoons leaving their schoolgirl insecurities behind. Though there were several hurdles and challenges in every mile of their walk, it was their resilience, talent and potential that brought them this far.
What to Do Inorder Not to Go Back in Time?
We have travelled miles ahead since the pre-independence era and women turned themselves into powerhouses of potential. To continue and encourage this change, firstly and most importantly, efforts to promote gender equality and pay equity are to be undertaken by the government as well as individual organisations. Addressing wage disparities based on gender is the most essential aspect of women’s economic empowerment. Including women in leadership and decision-making positions will help build sustainable strategies for economic development. Certainly, the future of India’s economic development is linked to the involvement of women in all the sectors.
Not just this, women’s role is vital in contributing to India’s transition to a socially and ecologically responsible economy. The reason? Women are often at the forefront of making sustainable development efforts like environmental conservation, bringing up social enterprises, making their mark in sectors like renewable energy, sustainable fashion, waste management etc. Above all, reforms in laws and policies to ensure equal opportunities, to safeguard the rights of women and to fortify their safety, augment their contributions to the economic sphere. Addressing their concerns through defined legal frameworks and workplace policies is a major league in creating a conducive environment for women’s economic participation.
“A woman’s economic freedom is a family’s well-being and a nation’s economic development”.
