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Events

Bi-monthly seminar nov-2024

IWWAGE Bi-monthly Seminar: Beneath the Headline Numbers: Employment Trends and Returns to Work in the Indian Labour Market

 

Dr. Mrinalini Jha, Assistant Professor, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy joined us for the seminar series on Thursday, the 28th of November, 2024 to discuss Employment Trends and Returns to Work in an Indian Labour Market. Dr Jha’s expertise lies in inequality, poverty and structural transformation in the Indian economy. The lecture– a product of her ongoing work–seeks to build a narrative of the worrisome state of the Indian economy, particularly in the labour market.

The discussion began with a lucid overview of the trends in workforce participation and employment in India.Dr. Jha introduced three phases concerning employment and population:

  • 1993-94 to 2004-05-Phase 1-rise in employment keeping pace with increasing population which results in a roughly constant Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) at 65%.
  • 2004-05 to 2017-18-Phase 2-stagnation in absolute employment numbers even as the working-age population continues to grow with a drop in the LFPR to 52% in 2017-18 from 66% in 2004-05.
  • 2017-18 onwards-Phase 3-a faster rise in employment levels as compared to the rise in the working-age population with an increase in the LFPR to 58% in 2021-22 from 52% in 2017-18.

However, Dr. Jha implores us to look beyond these headlines to focus on the quality of jobs, and how India is faring when it comes to ensuring the availability of “good jobs”. While the number of jobs created has increased, the quality of jobs has not improved. The proportion of self-employed jobs has increased, while the proportion of salaried jobs has decreased.The earnings of self-employed, casual workers, and salaried workers have not seen any positive rise either.The share of women in unpaid work has also increased. To surmise, the current trends indicate a crisis in the economy.

 

Dr. Jha argued that the increase in household income is not solely due to an increase in workforce participation rate (WPR), but also due to more people within a household working. She supplemented her arguments with data that indicate that while the proportion of household members working has increased, the income per worker has decreased. The increase in household income is attributable to more people, particularly women, stepping out to work at lower earning jobs. She  shared her insight on the issue of women entering the labour force primarily as unpaid helpers, and the shrinking proportion of women’s work. Dr. Jha sought  to empirically establish that it is not a choice women are making, rather an indication of economic distress.

 

She concluded with the reiteration that unemployment is not the best measure to evaluate the labour market’s health.Although, there has been a  steady rise in those employed as a percentage of the working-age population since 2017-18, quality as gauged from the nature of employment and earnings is worsening over time.Households are coping with economic distress by working more at lower wages to maintain total household earnings. Women joining the labour force is thus an account of this distress.This is also evident from the nature of employment women are engaged in.Productivity, as measured by earnings, is bound to increase as more members in the household work  Dr. Jha’s illuminating presentation opened the floor to many insightful comments and probing questions from the audience.

National Conclave on Gender Mainstreaming

National Conclave on Gender Mainstreaming

The Gender Snapshot Report by the United Nations (2023) highlights slow progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. It projects that by 2030, over 340 million women and girls may live in extreme poverty, and close to one in four will face food insecurity. Urging immediate action, the report calls for integrated approaches, greater collaboration, sustained funding, and policy reforms to achieve gender equality and empowerment.

The G20 declaration reinforces this urgency with a focus on reducing gender gaps in labour force participation, promoting equal access to education, and increasing women’s participation in STEM and digital fields. It also emphasizes promoting access to social protection, eliminating gender-based violence, and ensuring women’s inclusion in the formal financial system.

Background

In recent years, the Gender Programme under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission has made significant strides, moving from policy integration to large-scale implementation. Notable achievements include the establishment of Gender Resource Centres across 15 states, and estabilishment of 44,528 Gender Point Persons collectives, 33,736 and 1,461 Block level Gender Forums respectively as platforms for dialogue and action.

The national campaign ‘Nayi Chetna,’ launched in 2022, has seen widespread engagement, fostering inter-ministerial convergence and community action to combat gender-based violence. The campaign, actively carried out in 32 states has seen close to 6 crore participation in activities over the two years advocating the need to speak up and take action against all forms of gender-based violence. Four editions of the ‘Gender Samvaad’ have further amplified advocacy efforts, drawing participation from community resource persons, practitioners, and policymakers.

 

Overview and objective

As the programme enters its second phase, the conclave will draw insights from practitioners, policy makers, experts and cluster level federations and explore:

  1. Building Gender Responsive Community Institutions through stronger institutional mechanisms.
  2. Enhancing inter-ministerial convergence to address gender issues collaboratively.
  3. Integrating gender perspectives into NRLM’s thematic verticals to shift gender norms at the household level.
  4. Expanding stakeholder engagement through alliances and advocacy, with a focus on engaging men and youth.

Event Proceedings of The National Conclave on Gender Mainstreaming

Our Publications

Handbook for Institutional Mechanisms for Addressing Gender Issues

Gender Resource Centre: An Advisory

An Assessment of the National Gender Campaign for DAY-NRLM

Nayi Chetna- Coffee Table Book Year One Snapshot

SWAYAM Process Evaluation

Process Documentation Report

An Assessment of the Compiled Case Stories

Gender Modules
Workshop on Capturing Women’s Work (CWW) held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on July 24, 2024

Workshop on Capturing Women’s Work (CWW) held at India Habitat Centre,
New Delhi on July 24, 2024

 

The workshop on Capturing Women’s Work (CWW) took place on July 24, 2024, at the Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Hosted by IWWAGE, the event aimed to address the complexities and challenges in accurately measuring women’s work.

 

The inaugural session featured key insights from Radha Chellappa, Executive Director, IWWAGE, Neeta Goel, Country Lead – Measurement, Learning and Evaluation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Foundation and Sona Mitra, Director – Policy and Research, IWWAGE focusing on findings from the IWWAGE study.

 

Led by Sona Mitra, the IWWAGE research team showcased their findings from the study titled ‘Capturing Women’s Work to Measure Better’ which aimed at developing better mechanisms for data collection by employing innovative probing techniques and sampling frames tailored to capture the nuances of women’s work. Additionally, the session emphasized on the importance of creating a robust framework for conducting women-specific surveys that could be aligned with national Labour Force Surveys (LFS). This would help in obtaining more comprehensive estimates of women’s labor force participation. The session concluded with a series of participant inquiries. The presentation of time use findings sparked discussions about how women’s time allocation evolves with age, specifically when unpaid domestic work becomes a daily routine, and the factors contributing to the transition from ‘girl’ to ‘woman’.

The second half of the presentation focused on findings around identifying and addressing the significant perception bias that often underestimates women’s economic contributions (in cases where the respondent is not the woman herself) were presented. Through these efforts, the sessions aimed to advance methodologies that more accurately reflect women’s roles in the economy.

Findings from the CWW study revealed notable gaps between self-reported data and societal perceptions, highlighting the need to include unpaid domestic work in workforce measurements for greater accuracy.

 

Discussions also covered the economic valuation of unpaid work, the impact of household characteristics on perceptions, and the significance of detailed recovery questions. Key points included discrepancies between the PLFS 2022-2023 and CWW survey estimates of female labor force participation rates, as well as concerns about the lack of a 180-day principal activity benchmark and the survey’s ability to accurately capture women’s work, particularly in Jharkhand.

 

 

The workshop ended with a panel discussion, moderated by Yamini Atmavilas, bringing together experts like Jeemol Unni, Madhura Swaminathan, Rosa Abraham, Neetha N, and PC Mohanan. They discussed innovations in measurement methods and the limitations of current survey instruments. Emphasis was placed on the need for regular Time Use Surveys (TUS) and refining survey tools to capture the dynamic nature of women’s work, including unpaid care and domestic activities. The panel concluded that improving measurement accuracy and recognizing the economic value of women’s work are essential for addressing historical underreporting and better informing policy decisions.

Related Resources
CWW Summary of Findings
CWW Report

IWWAGE at the 64th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) at Hyderabad, Telangana

IWWAGE at the 64th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) at Hyderabad, Telangana

 

IWWAGE participated in the 64th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics held in Hyderabad, Telangana in March 2024. The ISLE engagement included organizing a panel discussion on “care,” participation in a panel on time use methods as well as paper presentations by team members.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

  1. Caring for the Caregivers: Pathways to Strengthen the Care Economy

29th March 2024

IWWAGE along with the Institute for Human Development organized a panel on “Caring for the Caregivers: Pathways to Strengthen the Care Economy” which highlighted pressing issues around care based on specific contexts, advocating for better working conditions and facilities including access to key amenities like toilets and transportation. The discussion delved into the scope and environment of care work, emphasizing the need for financing, enhanced investments, and adequate legal frameworks to protect the rights of care workers. The panel was chaired by Yamini Mishra (India Director, Mac Arthur Foundation) with introductory remarks by Sona Mitra (Research & Policy Director, IWWAGE). The panellists included Ritu Dewan (Visiting Professor, IHD), A K Shivkumar (Visiting Professor, IHD), Valeria Esquivel (Employment Policies and Gender Specialist, ILO), and Prabha Kotiswaran (Professor, King’s College London) with Dipa Sinha (Assistant Professor, Ambedkar University, Delhi) joining as a discussant. The session concluded with remarks from Radha Chellappa (Executive Director, IWWAGE) encapsulating the importance of the dialogue and its implications for policy and practice.

 

 

  1. Integrating Time Use Module with Labour Force Surveys

30th March 2024

Organized by the Centre For Women’s Development Studies (CWDS), New Delhi, this panel delved into the possibilities and challenges of integrating time use data into labour force surveys, a crucial step towards understanding the unseen aspects of labour and productivity. The panel was chaired by TCA Anant (Adjunct Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences). Sona Mitra (Director – Policy and Research, IWWAGE) presented insights from a primary study that incorporated gendered activities and time-budget components. The esteemed panel was chaired by TCA Anant (Adjunct Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences) and also included the following experts: Padmini Swaminathan, Former Director, Madras Institute of Development Studies; G.C. Manna, (Professor, IHD India, Former Director General, CSO and NSSO) P.C. Mohanan (Chairman, Kerala State Statistical Commission), Kripa Ananthpur (Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies) and Neetha N. (Professor, Centre for Women’s Development Studies).

 

PAPER PRESENTATIONS
1. Paper Title: “Informant bias’, a key factor behind underestimation of women’s work: Evidence from two IWWAGE surveys”
Authors: Sona Mitra, Bidisha Mondal, Prakriti Sharma and Aneek Choudhury
Summary: Using two primary surveys, the paper assessed the ‘informant bias’ across various economic and non-economic participation of working-age women and further investigated how it varied across the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of individuals and households.
2. Paper Title: How care responsibilities influence women’s labour force participation and the nature of their employment: Evidences from PLFS 2022-23
Author: Bidisha Mondal
Summary: Women belonging to households with childcare responsibilities are two times more likely to stay engaged in full-time domestic duties and thus stay out of the labourforce, as compared to women without childcare responsibilities. Moreover, when women with childcare responsibilities participate in the labourforce, they are more likely to be engaged in non-remunerative opportunities like unpaid family work probably due to the flexibility these types of engagement provide. Elderly care responsibilities are found to restrain women’s labourforce participation decision and remunerative engagements marginally.
3. Paper Title: “Formalising Care Economy will have Far-Reaching Implications for Women’s Employment ”
Authors: Mridusmita Bordoloi (IWWAGE), Prof. Rajshree Bedamatta, IIT Guwahati
Summary: This paper defines the care sector and the care workforce in India, based on the definition suggested by International Labour Organisation (ILO), using unit level data from PLFS, 2022-23, and explores the characteristics of the care workers. The paper argues that if the care sector can be developed further and formalised, it can have far-reaching implications. It will not only create new job opportunities in the economy for individuals across gender, but can also work as an enabler in women’s labour market participation, which is significantly low at present.

 

Capturing Women’s Work Through Time Use Surveys: Implications for Policy

Capturing Women’s Work Through Time Use Surveys: Implications for Policy

Dr. Ellina Samantroy, Fellow at VV Giri National Labour Institute, joined us for our seminar series on April 22nd, 2024 to discuss “Capturing Women’s Work Through Time Use Surveys and Further Implications for Policy Making. Dr. Samantroy laid the context by highlighting two alarming issues: the gender gap between men and women and the low participation of women in the job market. This is substantiated when we look at the figures in 2023, where 48.7% of women participated in the labor market as compared to 73% of men.

 

Women’s work participation was continuously decreasing since 2004-05 and then it started increasing after 2017-18. This increase can be attributed to the increased proportion of the self-employed workforce. The question now remains understanding the concentration of self-employed workforce across occupations and sectors. This can be clearly identified by using TUS (Time Use Survey) data.

 

Highlights from Dr. Samantroy’s seminar are shared below:

 

Background of TUS:

TUS is a quantitative summary of how individuals allocate their time over a specified time period- typically over 24 hours in a day or over the 7 days of a week on different activities and how much time they spend on each of these activities. Further, it diversifies activities into three categories: SNA activities (activities that fall within the production boundary of the UN System of National Accounts), non-SNA activities (activities which are not included in national accounts but are covered under the General Production boundary and include delegable production of services) and personal services (non-delegable services eg. sleeping, watching TV, etc.). TUS sheds light on the specific activities the individuals in the reference population are engaged in. It also talks about the time spent on doing certain activities like, average number of hours in a day spent on travelling and unpaid domestic work among other activities.

 

Shift from NSSO to TUS:

  1. Women’s work has not been documented effectively in NSSO surveys as it provides generalized answers, not delving deeply into certain probing questions. NSSO data does not provide answers for restricted women’s participation based on geographical location. Also, there is a lack of occupational segregation in the survey.
  2. TUS focuses on capturing unpaid domestic activity and other non-market activities.
  3. Additionally it provides information on multiple and simultaneous activities and some other insights using context variables. These variables look at details of the activity, specifically looking into the location, presence of other people when the activity occurred, beneficiary perception, and monetary motivation behind the activity.
  4. TUS gives visibility to the care economy, captures time stress, and improves workforce estimates along with throwing light on the scattered and sporadic nature of informal work. It helps in understanding the percentage of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work by sex, age group, caste, religious group, and location wise.

 

Highlights from National TUS 2019:

They have coded 9 activities under TUS.

  1. Participation rates of women workers in unpaid domestic services for household members are 94.5% and 87.9% in rural and urban areas respectively. Compared to men workers, participation rates are 33.7% and 24.6% in rural and urban areas respectively.
  2. The average time spent by women workers on unpaid domestic services for household members are 4.1 hours and 3.6 hours in rural and urban areas respectively. On the other hand, the average time spent by male workers on unpaid domestic services for household members are 1.6 hours and 1.5 hours in rural and urban areas respectively.
  3. Under the unpaid domestic services, women are involved in care and maintenance of textiles, footwear, food and meals preparation and cleaning and maintenance of surroundings across both rural and urban areas.
  4. The average time spent by women in unpaid domestic work is around 2.5 hours, primarily in food and meal preparation. Digging deep into unpaid caregiving services, around 20-23% of women are engaged in childcare and instruction across rural and urban areas. Additionally, the average time spent on unpaid caregiving services, specifically in childcare and instruction is around 1.7 hours across both rural and urban areas for women.

 

Limitations of TUS:

  1. Inadequate capturing of informal work
  2. Lack of harmonization with international classification
  3. Methodological limitations
  4. Too expensive

 

Recommendations:

  1. Addressing self-employment through TUS
  2. Addressing the concerns of marginalized communities across geographical regions
  3. Capacity building of stakeholders
  4. Mainstreaming TUS
  5. Need for revisiting and sharpening the use of context variables

 

If you would like to see the presentation, please visit the link here.

Incase you missed the online seminar, you may view it here.

 

Caring for the Caregivers: Strengthening Voices of Care in the Global South

Panel discussion titled, “Caring for the Caregivers: Strengthening Voices of Care in the Global South” at the NGO Committee on the Status of Women (NGO CSW/NY)

IWWAGE along with its partner Observer Research Foundation (ORF) organized a panel discussion titled, “Caring for the Caregivers: Strengthening Voices of Care in the Global South” at the NGO CSW68 event on March 15th 2024. Our speakers spanned different geographies enriching the discussion. The CSW68 gathering provided a strong platform to carry forward global efforts to mainstream and meaningfully embed the care agenda in macroeconomic planning.th.

Shamika Ravi, Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) set the context by emphasizing the critical nature of care work and the need to support women who are disproportionately affected by caregiving responsibilities especially as they explore work opportunities outside the household. She shared insights about the evolution of care-related policies in India highlighting the intention to make care a fundamental part of the economy. She also shed light on the fact that the Ministry of Women and Child Development has made serious efforts in the direction of care economy indicating the commitment in foregrounding “care”.

 

 

Taking the discussion forward, Sona Mitra, Director- Research and Policy, IWWAGE elaborated on the advocacy efforts aimed at centering care in policy discussions. She stressed on the importance of focusing on financing for care. Emphasizing on the need for investment strategies, she highlighted the need for identifying the different components of care and exploring different financing & investment channels that are necessary for effective care delivery.
The moderator, Sunaina Kumar, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation took forward points made by Shamika Ravi by highlighting the increased demand for care due to globally shifting demographic trends, increasing young and aging populations, along with the emergence of more nuclear families. She underscored the intrinsic and instrumental value of caregiving and is is at the heart of human societies, families, and the future of our economies.

 

 

Speaking of the Brazilian experience, Luciana Servo, President, I-AER Institute of Applied Economic Research discussed the need for advocacy around care in the country and the importance of bringing in the care workers as stakeholders in the process of policy making. She focussed on the need for addressing lingering gender norms and advocating for policy innovation and international cooperation to address financing challenges. She also talked about how the challenges are bigger and the opportunities are smaller in terms of financing and that’s where the role of international cooperation and multilateralism is important. It was also inspiring to hear that Brazil is thinking of bringing in the care workers as stakeholders in the process of policy making.

 

 

Gloria Lang’at emphasized the universal importance of care while highlighting its under-resourced nature, particularly in terms of investment and caregiver remuneration. She also spoke of the need for highlighting the role of the community in the care economy as well as greater inclusion of geriatric care and care for the disabled in these discussions.

Brett Weisel, Global Policy and Advocacy Lead, Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) stressed on the interconnectedness of outcomes for women and children, advocating for purposeful linkage of agendas to form powerful political coalitions. He also emphasized the importance of gender-transformative and child-centered systems and grassroots advocacy to support caregivers effectively.

For those interested, a recording of the session is available for viewing.: https://lnkd.in/eVJuQ9rH

Promoting Women in Leadership for Improving Economic Outcomes, IWWAGE at Access Livelihoods Summit 2024
Promoting Women in Leadership for Improving Economic Outcomes, IWWAGE at Access Livelihoods Summit 2024

 

 

During the Livelihoods India Summit 2024, Institute for What Works to Advance Gender Equality (IWWAGE) organized a panel discussion session on Promoting Women in Leadership for Improving Economic Outcomes on January 18 in New Delhi. The session contributed to the current discourse on ‘women in leadership’, what it entails, highlighted measures that cover organizational strategies and best practices to accelerate women’s leadership.

 

The goal of ushering in women-led development requires concerted efforts on multiple fronts. Facilitating and enabling women in leadership positions can cause significant shifts in improving women’s economic outcomes using modern feminist methods.

 

The proportion of women in leadership roles is low in India. For example, a report by Dasra found that women’s workforce occupies only 18% of leadership roles in India’s healthcare sector, earning 34% less than their male counterparts. Another survey from Grant Thornton found that women hold 36% of senior management positions in mid-market companies in India. Creating an enabling ecosystem for women to transition into key decision making and leadership roles is critical not only from the point of view of diversity and inclusion but is also necessary for strengthening alternative forms of leadership that are starkly different from traditional approaches.

Enabling women leaders in politics, economics, finance, businesses, social sectors and so on, is crucial for institutionalizing gender-responsive mechanisms that cater to the needs of women in all sectors of the economy and facilitates in closing the rigid gender gaps. Women’s leadership has evidence of creating systems that operate to include and facilitate women not only in their productive spheres but adds to it by creating ‘caring’ spaces.

This panel aimed to contribute to the current discourse on ‘women in leadership’, what it entails, highlight measures that cover organizational strategies, market-based approaches and brings to the fore some of the existing knowledge and best practices from select sectors that accelerate women’s leadership.

 

Moderated by Sona Mitra, Principal Economist, IWWAGE

 

The Speakers were:

  1. Yamini Atmavilas – Udaiti Foundation
  2. Shagun Sabharwal, Co-impact
  3. Nayana Chowdhury, Breakthrough

 

Panel on “Advancing Women’s Work in Global South: Towards Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality” at the IHD Global Conclave 2024
Panel on “Advancing Women’s Work in Global
South: Towards Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality” at the IHD Global
Conclave 2024

IWWAGE along with Niti Aayog organized a Panel on “Advancing Women’s Work in Global South: Towards Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality” at the Global Conclave organized by the Institute of Human Development on 12th January, 2024 at the India International Centre.

Chair and Moderator

Sonalde Desai, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland, US, and Professor, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi

Panelists

  • Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, Professor and Provost’s Chair, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
  • National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • Marina Durano, Adviser on Care Economy and Partnership, Engagement, UNI Global Union, Geneva
  • Sakshi Khurana, Senior Specialist, Skill Development, Labour & Employment, NITI Aayog, Government of India
  • Sona Mitra, Principal Economist, IWWAGE – An initiative of LEAD, Krea University
  • Kyoko Kusakabe, Professor, Gender and Development Studies, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
  • Grace Wamue-Ngare, Professor, Gender and Development Studies, Department of Sociology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

 

The panel was Chaired by Dr. Sonalde Desai, and included presentations by a diverse group of speakers offer a comprehensive panorama of the intricate landscape surrounding women’s work on a global scale. Sakshi Khurana, Senior Specialist at NITI Aayog, illuminated the gender disparities prevalent in labor force participation, wage pay, and managerial roles, drawing attention to the transformative impact of digital technologies on women. Wei-Jun Jean Yeung provided an insightful analysis of the Asia-Pacific region, detailing economic dynamics, gender parity trends, and the varied challenges confronting women in the region. Marina Durano delved into the constitutional recognition of care work, shedding light on the evolving discourse around the right to work within the framework of a care economy. Sona Mitra’s focus on the declining Female Labor Force Participation Rate in India highlighted the qualitative distinctions in women’s work, with an emphasis on care and unpaid activities. Kyoko Kusakabe’s case study on Thailand explored the nuanced effects of automation and digitization on women’s roles in the workforce. Grace Wamue-Ngare offered a lens into the persistent gender disparities in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly through the lens of initiatives by the KU-WEE Hub in Kenya aimed at dismantling barriers to Women’s Economic Empowerment. Together, these presentations weaved a rich tapestry that underscore the imperative for nuanced, context-specific strategies to bolster women’s economic participation, acknowledging regional nuances and the intersectional challenges that women face globally.

Moving Towards Gender Equitable Public Transport Operations in a Post-COVID World

Moving Towards Gender Equitable Public Transport Operations in a Post-COVID World

 

Sonal Shah, the Founder of The Urban Catalysts and Executive Director of the Centre for Sustainable and Equitable Cities, joined us for our seminar series on 21st September 2023 to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the mobility of women workers in the informal sector.

Shah presented an interesting study conducted by their organization in 2021 which is titled as “Moving Towards Gender Equitable Public Transport Operations in a Post-COVID World.” The key points of the discussion are given below.

She laid down the context of the study by highlighting the impact of the pandemic on women which is as follows:

  • Fall in income
  • Increase in care work in household
  • Increase in domestic violence

The study aimed to-

  • To provide evidence and fast-track knowledge uptake to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on resource-poor women’s mobility
  • To inform policy guidance and response by low and lower-middle countries in addressing gender equity, safety, and personal security in public transport
  • To deep-dive in Delhi with learnings for cities in South Asia

 

 

Methodology Adopted in their study

  • Rapid literature review: They studied the impact of COVID-19 in selected cities – Dhaka, Lahore, Karachi, Kathmandu
  • Roundtable: They compared similarities in the impact of COVID on the mobility of women workers in the informal sector across cities
  • Key Informant Interviews: They talked to transport experts from the government, multi-lateral development banks, think tanks, etc.
  • Primary survey: They conducted with 800 women workers across different settlements in Delhi
  • Lastly, they disseminated the recommendations to key informants and roundtable participants

The primary survey of the study identified resource-poor women (RPW) in Delhi. Their profile was as follows:

  • 65 percent of RPW did not receive any formal education;
  • Only 10 percent have access to smartphones;
  • 84 percent of RPW do not own a vehicle

The findings highlighted by Sonal in their study are as follows:

  1. About 79 percent of RPW did not work in the 68 days of lockdown and lost an estimated INR 754 crores across Delhi; RPW travelled 20 percent less as compared to pre-COVID times; shared paratransit (IPT) is the next preferred mode of transport because of less waiting time.
  2. Concerns while traveling: Reserved seats were not enforced in the bus; the driver did not stop the bus for women passengers due to free service; rash driving and over-crowding in IPT.
  3. Women e-rickshaw drivers suffer a loss of INR 5000 due to safety, household, and care taxes. They operated in routes closer to their homes and earned lower revenues than men.

The recommendations disseminated by them to the roundtable participants and technical experts to complete the loop are as follows:

  1. A model that subsidizes the purchase of commercial assets and provides support from membership organizations.
  2. Creation of a mechanism for complaint that is not necessarily based on smartphones. Having coordinated responses to complaints across different modes of transport at the command-and-control centre set up by the transport department.
  3. Need for multi-modal subsidy for RPW
  4. Increase electric vehicle adoption amongst RPW, reservation of parking spaces at metro stations, and waive parking fees for women e-rickshaw drivers.

Watch the recording here

‘Nayi Chetna – Pahal Badlav Ki’ campaign Marks its Second Year in the battle against Gender-Based Violence

‘Nayi Chetna – Pahal Badlav Ki’ campaign Marks its Second Year in the battle against Gender-Based Violence

November 25th, 2023 marked the launch of the year two of Nayi Chetna, Pahal Badlaav ki. Institute for What Works to Advance Gender Equality is proud to partner with esteemed Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

Minister of State for Rural Development and Steel, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste and Minister of State for Rural Development and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti inaugurated the campaign in New Delhi. Secretary Rural Development, Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, Addl. Secretary Rural Livelihoods, Shri Charanjit Singh and Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Dr. Shamika Ravi, dignitaries and representatives from the State Livelihoods Mission, the banking community, development partners and CSOs, SHG members from across the country were also present in the occasion.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) under the aegis of the Ministry of Rural Development announced the commencement of the second year of its flagship annual campaign, Nayi Chetna- Pahal Badlaav Ki, dedicated to address gender issues and eliminating gender-based violence. The launch coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The campaign aims to address pressing issues like normalization of violence, reluctance to speak up, lack of awareness of support mechanisms, and the absence of perceived safe spaces.

 

Violence against women and girls continue to be one of the biggest deterrents to achieving well-being, self-growth and a life of dignity. Physical or psychological violence is a gross violation of basic human rights and impedes women and girls achieving their full potential and living a life of their choice. Gender-based violence is a global pandemic that affects 1 in every 3 women in their lifetime. Evidence reveals that women are often unable to identity violence meted out to them because of normalization of discrimination and violence. Even if they do identify violence, they are unable to share or raise their voice against it to avoid naming and shaming and they continue to suffer in silence.  Most women, by and large, are unaware of redressal mechanisms, service providers and lack legal awareness.

 

DAY-NRLM has been at the forefront of gender empowerment since 2016 and recognizes this social evil as a major hindrance towards achieving individual and social development and hence aims to take necessary actions for eliminating Gender Based Violence. As part of its ongoing effort of mobilizing and addressing issues of marginalized communities and women, DAY-NRLM emphasises on the need for creating institutional mechanisms of responding to issues of violence along with integration of gender in all verticals for a larger perspective shift. Towards this, DAY-NRLM initiated the Nayi Chetna – Pahal Badlaav Ki campaign, which garnered immense success in its first year, mobilizing 3.5 crore people nationwide.

 

The campaign engages a wide array of stakeholders, including State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs), community institutions, Panchayati Raj Institutions, members of the community, DAY-NRLM verticals, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and relevant line Ministries and Departments.

The campaign has been launched for a period of one month with convergence with 13 Ministries/Departments. The campaign will undertake awareness building activities at community levels for sensitisation of all sections of the community. This would include rangoli making, pledge for elimination of gender-based violence, meetings at gram sabha level, essay and drawing competition, etc. In addition, special efforts will be made sensitise panchayat level functionaries on laws pertaining to gender-based violence and creation of safe spaces of women.  During the period of campaign, meetings of gender forums will be organised at block level and district level, sensitisation of police station personnels and other functionaries like health workers, schools, etc.

The campaign has been rightly given taglines of ‘Sahenge nahin kahenge’ and ‘Chuppi Todenge’.

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