Monitoring, Evaluating and Furtheirng Progress on Gender and Economic Equality and Women's Economic Empowerment

[Ranjani K.Murthy]

This paper, authored by me and supported by the Institute of Social Studies Trust, New Delhi GenderEconomicEqualityFinal%282%29.pdf observes that India seems largely on track on ‘formal equality’ in the economic sphere, with legislation on equal remuneration, inheritance rights of most women, sexual harassment at work places, maternity benefits, and a bill on paternity leave (yet to be passed), to name a few. Yet, barring women’s access to savings bank accounts in their names, women elected to PRIs, proportion of workers/ days of MGNREGS work and higher education, the milestones under SDGs/Beijing PFA and CEDAW may not be achieved by 2030 on other gender equality indicators. Gender gaps are the highest, and likely to be so into 2030, in the case of ownership of some assets, access to non-traditional vocational training , labour force participation rates, wages, income, consumption outcomes reflected in anemia and women's agency (membership in unions, cooperatives, boards of directors). In fact, the female labour force participation rate and income are declining and gender gaps in these are increasing, pointing to the contradiction that equality in gross enrollment in higher education is/ may not lead to equality in economic participation. Recommendations are offered For full report use the link below!

With Ratna Sudarshan and Rajib Nandi #genderequality #SDGs #CEDAW #Beijing PFA