India wants to become a developed country by 2047 — but must address gender inequality first

Fourteen years ago, when Nisha Kotwal, 41, was a resident doctor in Maharashtra, India, her parents would call her before each shift to check if she had arrived safely at the hospital.

“When I told my parents I was at the hospital, they knew I was safe. It never occurred to me that the hospital was unsafe because it was like home,” the obstetrician and gynecologist said.

Economic experts say that more than a decade later, deep-rooted gender discrimination still exists in India, an obstacle that the country needs to overcome to achieve its economic goals.

this Rape and murder of a 31-year-old intern Earlier this month, an incident of female genital mutilation at a medical college in Kolkata left parents and women worried about their safety and forced India’s Supreme Court to set up a national task force of doctors to make recommendations on how to better ensure women’s safety in the workplace.

In 2023, the labor force participation rate Women account for 33% That’s up from 27% a decade ago in India. Although the number has been gradually rising, Still far behind The United States (56.5%), China (60.5%), Japan (54.9%) and Germany (56.5%) India lags behind in four economies.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set ambitious goals to make India a $5 trillion economy by 2020 and a developed country by 2047. However, economists say he will have a hard time meeting his goals if India does not work to increase the number of women in the workforce.

“Female literacy has increased, fertility rates have fallen, urbanization is increasing and the economy is growing. But these factors have not done much to increase female employment,” said Sunaina Kumar, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank.

Security risks

Kumar believes that widespread concerns about women’s safety in public places have led to a low number of women in the workplace.

She said some women were not allowed to travel far from their homes to attend school or training programmes, proving that fear and uncertainty about sexual assault remained a barrier. “Many young women were allowed to travel to nearby markets or facilities but were unable to travel from home due to the risk of sexual harassment.”

Some women are not allowed to go to school or training programmes far from their homes, Kumar added. Fear and uncertainty about sexual assault remain a major barrier to increasing female employment.

Kumar’s remarks in 2021 Research Papers World Bank economist Girija Borker reports that female students in Delhi are choosing to attend “lower quality colleges” to avoid sexual harassment while commuting to campus. This means either choosing a college closer to home or taking safer routes or modes of transportation.

These restrictions may hinder women from obtaining better careers.

“Highly skilled youth are supposed to be the engine of economic growth in the coming years,” Eliana LaFerrara, a professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, told CNBC. “But parents who read about the recent rape and murder of a highly educated woman are thinking, ‘What’s the point of investing all this money in educating our daughters if something like this happens?’”

The trainee doctor was found dead on August 9, allegedly after she was brutally raped and killed by a police volunteer who entered the seminar room where she was resting.

The incident caused a national uproar and led to large-scale protests by doctors and activists across India. Suspension of non-emergency medical services Last week it lasted 24 hours.

There are more than 31,500 rape cases reported in India in 2022While that’s down slightly from the previous year, it’s still higher than between 2010 and 2013, when about 22,000 to 24,000 cases were reported. Data beyond 2022 is not yet publicly available. The increase may be due to more avenues for women to report.

Data beyond 2022 is not yet publicly available.

Reversing gender norms

Jayati Ghosh, professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said social and systemic gender inequality remained an obstacle that India needed to overcome to achieve its economic goals.

“There is deep-rooted patriarchy and misogyny in Indian society. These issues must be addressed before the country develops further,” Ghosh said. “The image of India being more developed is very false (on gender issues).”

According to the World Economic Forum, Global Gender Gap IndexIn terms of gender equality, India ranks 129th out of 146 countries, lagging behind larger economies such as the United States (43rd), China (106th), Japan (118th) and Germany (7th).

“Female employment serves two purposes: helping the economy through production and ensuring more equality of power and negotiation within the household,” said Harvard’s LaFerrara. He further elaborated that young women cannot be “kept indoors, but outdoor conditions need to change so that they can move and be active.”

Some economists are skeptical of Modi’s goal of turning India into a developed country by 2047. But Ms. Kotwal, the gynecologist, said progress could be boosted by implementing better safeguards and solutions to encourage women to enter the workforce, starting with educating boys from an early age.

“The whole system and culture in India treats women as second-class citizens, and this will take decades to change,” Kotwal said. “We need to work on the psychology of boys, not men. Boys are at a young age, and they are exposed to more things that help their brains develop.”

Ghosh believes the government also needs to increase spending and strengthen policies to support women entering the workforce.