Publications

Publications

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Category

Year

Working Paper

Identifying Gaps in Gender Statistics In India

  • June , 2019
  • Shiney Chakraborthy, Ruchika Chaudhary
Women are key agents of change, and a move towards gender equality translates into increased economic empowerment for women; it also brings greater benefits for the society at large. As pointed out by McKinsey Global Institute, the economic impact of achieving gender equality in India is estimated to be US$700 billion of added Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025. But achieving gender equality necessitates measures to correct for existing disadvantages that prevent women from accessing productive opportunities. Gender data play an important role in this regard. This study is an attempt to outline the existing gaps in available official data sources in India. The study has identified data gaps in key domains of women’s empowerment, namely, employment and wages, ownership of assets, access to basic amenities, financial inclusion, health, education, access to digital platforms, participation in decision making, and crime and violence, etc. The study highlights the need for more regular surveys on employment and wages, and time use surveys to better capture women’s paid and unpaid work, and also time spent on different unpaid activities. A multi-causal approach to data collection on migration, on earnings of the self-employed as well as on ownership and management of assets and businesses, at the individual level, is also recommended. Besides, a cohort study of young women, behavioural aspects, norms and opinions around women’s work, as well as data on mental health, learning outcomes, violence and individual access to digital resources, would provide a range of measures to investigate the issue of women’s empowerment.
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Women are key agents of change, and a move towards gender equality translates into increased economic empowerment for women; it also brings greater benefits for the society at large. As pointed out by McKinsey Global Institute, the economic impact of achieving gender equality in India is estimated to be US$700 billion of added Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025. But achieving gender equality necessitates measures to correct for existing disadvantages that prevent women from accessing productive opportunities. Gender data play an important role in this regard. This study is an attempt to outline the existing gaps in available official data sources in India. The study has identified data gaps in key domains of women’s empowerment, namely, employment and wages, ownership of assets, access to basic amenities, financial inclusion, health, education, access to digital platforms, participation in decision making, and crime and violence, etc. The study highlights the need for more regular surveys on employment and wages, and time use surveys to better capture women’s paid and unpaid work, and also time spent on different unpaid activities. A multi-causal approach to data collection on migration, on earnings of the self-employed as well as on ownership and management of assets and businesses, at the individual level, is also recommended. Besides, a cohort study of young women, behavioural aspects, norms and opinions around women’s work, as well as data on mental health, learning outcomes, violence and individual access to digital resources, would provide a range of measures to investigate the issue of women’s empowerment.
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Working Paper

Impact of Centre-based Quality Childcare on Maternal Employment & Early Childhood Development Outcomes

  • April , 2019
  • Surabhi Chaturvedi
India has low Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) and this has ramifications on women’s economic empowerment and India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The issue is compounded by time-poverty endured by women, masking the burden of unpaid work, a part of which is unpaid care for the children and the elderly. Often, social protection and child development programmes in India, and globally, target a certain population in isolation, ignoring unintended consequences for example, child nutrition programmes often prescribe interventions without considering the demands these impose on a woman’s time. At a household level, this translates into exacerbating time poverty for women and deprives children of direct care in early childhood. At the state level, this results in disjointed or siloed social protection policies and diluted programmes for women’s empowerment and child development. Centre-based Quality Childcare: A Case for Public Investment for Improved Maternal Employment and Early Childhood Development is a three-part series of papers. The series is a commentary that emphasises the inter-connectedness of labour, women’s empowerment, and child development policies and programmes. It elaborates on this inter-connectedness’s criticality in planning and implementation to actualise the additive effects (positive feedback loops) and alleviate exposure to risk factors and unintended consequences (negative feedback loops), especially at the critical points in the life cycle of a woman (childhood to adulthood). More specifically, this first paper in the series maps the pathway on how accessible, affordable and quality centre-based childcare can support women by reducing and redistributing the unpaid care work, thereby alleviating time poverty to a certain extent and improving the quality of care for children. It brings together evidence of how public provision of centre-based childcare has had positive impact on the two outcomes of interest maternal employment as well as various aspects of early childhood development for children under six years of age.
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India has low Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) and this has ramifications on women’s economic empowerment and India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The issue is compounded by time-poverty endured by women, masking the burden of unpaid work, a part of which is unpaid care for the children and the elderly. Often, social protection and child development programmes in India, and globally, target a certain population in isolation, ignoring unintended consequences for example, child nutrition programmes often prescribe interventions without considering the demands these impose on a woman’s time. At a household level, this translates into exacerbating time poverty for women and deprives children of direct care in early childhood. At the state level, this results in disjointed or siloed social protection policies and diluted programmes for women’s empowerment and child development. Centre-based Quality Childcare: A Case for Public Investment for Improved Maternal Employment and Early Childhood Development is a three-part series of papers. The series is a commentary that emphasises the inter-connectedness of labour, women’s empowerment, and child development policies and programmes. It elaborates on this inter-connectedness’s criticality in planning and implementation to actualise the additive effects (positive feedback loops) and alleviate exposure to risk factors and unintended consequences (negative feedback loops), especially at the critical points in the life cycle of a woman (childhood to adulthood). More specifically, this first paper in the series maps the pathway on how accessible, affordable and quality centre-based childcare can support women by reducing and redistributing the unpaid care work, thereby alleviating time poverty to a certain extent and improving the quality of care for children. It brings together evidence of how public provision of centre-based childcare has had positive impact on the two outcomes of interest maternal employment as well as various aspects of early childhood development for children under six years of age.
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Working Paper

Social Safety Net for Maternity Protection and Early Childhood Development in India

  • April , 2019
  • Surabhi Chaturvedi
This paper analyses the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) system (its historical evolution and current form) and other policies that are intended to provide maternity support and early childhood development. In light of the learnings from the second paper, this paper attempts a gap analysis of the ICDS system capacity and design to reach the intended beneficiary. It highlights the fact that in an effort to provide integrated services, vertical programmes attempt to deliver their interventions using the common platform of ICDS, without accurately assessing the capacity or design of these platforms. Often the layering of additional inputs onto these platforms causes the system to overload, resulting in diminishing returns or exacerbating the negative feedback loops. Moreover, human resources for childcare is one of the key features that influences the quality of the childcare centres. This paper includes findings from a qualitative field study on insights on human resources motivations and non-monetary incentives that influence their performance and productivity. This is accompanied by articulation of potential research questions and some next steps to further the agenda of early childhood development and maternity support.
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This paper analyses the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) system (its historical evolution and current form) and other policies that are intended to provide maternity support and early childhood development. In light of the learnings from the second paper, this paper attempts a gap analysis of the ICDS system capacity and design to reach the intended beneficiary. It highlights the fact that in an effort to provide integrated services, vertical programmes attempt to deliver their interventions using the common platform of ICDS, without accurately assessing the capacity or design of these platforms. Often the layering of additional inputs onto these platforms causes the system to overload, resulting in diminishing returns or exacerbating the negative feedback loops. Moreover, human resources for childcare is one of the key features that influences the quality of the childcare centres. This paper includes findings from a qualitative field study on insights on human resources motivations and non-monetary incentives that influence their performance and productivity. This is accompanied by articulation of potential research questions and some next steps to further the agenda of early childhood development and maternity support.
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Working Paper

Public Provision of Centre-based Childcare in High, Middle & Low-Income Countries

  • April , 2019
  • Surabhi Chaturvedi
This paper “Public provision of centre-based childcare in high-, middle- and low-income countries: What are the systemic features that aided the effective scale up of these programmes? highlights that the provision of public childcare sits in a large complex adaptive system made of building blocks, such as governance/accountability, financing, scope of the programme, human resources for childcare, data systems, evaluation, costing and impact, and social norms, that need to work in cohesion to ensure a positive impact on two outcomes: maternal employment and early childhood development in large-scale programmes. The main contribution of this paper is to focus, in a comparative study format, on the systemic features that have allowed low- and middle-income countries to implement and iteratively scale up centre-based childcare programmes. This is supported by examples from countries which were cognizant of this complex adaptive systemic thinking, and iteratively scaled up programmes, achieving a positive impact on the two outcomes mentioned above. This paper also documents examples of small-scale, alternate/non-government models of affordable, quality centre-based childcare in India that support working mothers. The intention is to show the feasibility of adoption of the systemic thinking to deliver quality service in India.
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This paper “Public provision of centre-based childcare in high-, middle- and low-income countries: What are the systemic features that aided the effective scale up of these programmes? highlights that the provision of public childcare sits in a large complex adaptive system made of building blocks, such as governance/accountability, financing, scope of the programme, human resources for childcare, data systems, evaluation, costing and impact, and social norms, that need to work in cohesion to ensure a positive impact on two outcomes: maternal employment and early childhood development in large-scale programmes. The main contribution of this paper is to focus, in a comparative study format, on the systemic features that have allowed low- and middle-income countries to implement and iteratively scale up centre-based childcare programmes. This is supported by examples from countries which were cognizant of this complex adaptive systemic thinking, and iteratively scaled up programmes, achieving a positive impact on the two outcomes mentioned above. This paper also documents examples of small-scale, alternate/non-government models of affordable, quality centre-based childcare in India that support working mothers. The intention is to show the feasibility of adoption of the systemic thinking to deliver quality service in India.
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Brief

Women’s Employment Within an Entrepreneurship Model

  • April , 2019
To advance conversations around women’s employment and entrepreneurship, IWWAGE and the Institute of Social Studies Trust (ISST) co-hosted a roundtable on January 21, 2019 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The dialogue was set against the backdrop of the NITI Aayog’s strategy document ‘Strategy for New India @75′, which identifies low female labour force participation as a key barrier to economic growth and proposes promoting entrepreneurship among women as a strategic solution. The roundtable brought together academics, practitioners, researchers, and corporate representatives to deliberate on how entrepreneurship models can be better aligned with women’s employment needs. Discussions underscored the need for capacity building of women’s collectives, access to affordable credit, and improved market linkages. Participants highlighted that entrepreneurship is often viewed as a coping mechanism rather than a career path, especially among younger women who aspire to formal employment. Key barriers-such as limited access to institutional finance, absence of adequate support services, and disconnects between skills training and employment aspirations-were explored. The importance of unpaid care work, safety at workplaces, and the heterogeneity of women’s needs were also emphasised in shaping inclusive entrepreneurship strategies. The event concluded with a call to develop a broad position paper on women’s entrepreneurship, and to foster partnerships with states and private sector players. There was consensus on the need for holistic macroeconomic strategies that position entrepreneurship within the larger context of women’s employment in India.
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To advance conversations around women’s employment and entrepreneurship, IWWAGE and the Institute of Social Studies Trust (ISST) co-hosted a roundtable on January 21, 2019 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The dialogue was set against the backdrop of the NITI Aayog’s strategy document ‘Strategy for New India @75′, which identifies low female labour force participation as a key barrier to economic growth and proposes promoting entrepreneurship among women as a strategic solution. The roundtable brought together academics, practitioners, researchers, and corporate representatives to deliberate on how entrepreneurship models can be better aligned with women’s employment needs. Discussions underscored the need for capacity building of women’s collectives, access to affordable credit, and improved market linkages. Participants highlighted that entrepreneurship is often viewed as a coping mechanism rather than a career path, especially among younger women who aspire to formal employment. Key barriers-such as limited access to institutional finance, absence of adequate support services, and disconnects between skills training and employment aspirations-were explored. The importance of unpaid care work, safety at workplaces, and the heterogeneity of women’s needs were also emphasised in shaping inclusive entrepreneurship strategies. The event concluded with a call to develop a broad position paper on women’s entrepreneurship, and to foster partnerships with states and private sector players. There was consensus on the need for holistic macroeconomic strategies that position entrepreneurship within the larger context of women’s employment in India.
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Working Paper

Impact of Centre-based Quality Childcare on Maternal Employment & Early Childhood Development Outcomes

  • April , 2019
  • Surabhi Chaturvedi
This document is for private circulation and is not a priced publication. Suggested citation: Chaturvedi, S. (2019). Global evidence on the impact of centre-based quality childcare on maternal employment and early childhood development outcomes, IWWAGE Working Paper Series. New Delhi: Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE)
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This document is for private circulation and is not a priced publication. Suggested citation: Chaturvedi, S. (2019). Global evidence on the impact of centre-based quality childcare on maternal employment and early childhood development outcomes, IWWAGE Working Paper Series. New Delhi: Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE)
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Brief

Note on IWWAGE Findings

  • April , 2019
As part of its commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment, IWWAGE undertook three key studies in 2018 to generate actionable evidence that informs policy and practice. These studies focus on critical areas affecting women’s participation in the workforce and access to support systems: 1. Centre-Based Childcare as a Solution for Maternal Employment and Early Childhood Development This study explores how accessible, affordable, and quality childcare can reduce women’s unpaid care burden, enabling their participation in the labour force, while also enhancing cognitive and socio-emotional development in children under six. The research highlights the need for improved service quality, greater access, and consideration of prevailing social norms in programme design. 2. SHG Digitisation With the expansion of digital services, this study examines the process and impact of digitising Self-Help Groups (SHGs). It assesses how technology can enhance financial inclusion, transparency, and efficiency in SHG operations while also identifying gaps in access and digital literacy among women. 3. Rapid Assessment of the 181 Women’s Helpline Scheme This assessment evaluates the effectiveness of the 181 helpline, a critical support mechanism for women facing violence. It highlights the need for better infrastructure, trained personnel, and integration with other support services to ensure timely and sensitive responses to women in distress. Together, the studies offer valuable insights and underline the importance of strengthening public systems, leveraging technology, and addressing social barriers. IWWAGE continues to advocate for evidence-informed strategies that improve service delivery, promote gender-responsive policies, and enhance women’s access to economic opportunities and support mechanisms.
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As part of its commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment, IWWAGE undertook three key studies in 2018 to generate actionable evidence that informs policy and practice. These studies focus on critical areas affecting women’s participation in the workforce and access to support systems: 1. Centre-Based Childcare as a Solution for Maternal Employment and Early Childhood Development This study explores how accessible, affordable, and quality childcare can reduce women’s unpaid care burden, enabling their participation in the labour force, while also enhancing cognitive and socio-emotional development in children under six. The research highlights the need for improved service quality, greater access, and consideration of prevailing social norms in programme design. 2. SHG Digitisation With the expansion of digital services, this study examines the process and impact of digitising Self-Help Groups (SHGs). It assesses how technology can enhance financial inclusion, transparency, and efficiency in SHG operations while also identifying gaps in access and digital literacy among women. 3. Rapid Assessment of the 181 Women’s Helpline Scheme This assessment evaluates the effectiveness of the 181 helpline, a critical support mechanism for women facing violence. It highlights the need for better infrastructure, trained personnel, and integration with other support services to ensure timely and sensitive responses to women in distress. Together, the studies offer valuable insights and underline the importance of strengthening public systems, leveraging technology, and addressing social barriers. IWWAGE continues to advocate for evidence-informed strategies that improve service delivery, promote gender-responsive policies, and enhance women’s access to economic opportunities and support mechanisms.
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Factsheet

Trend in Female Labour Force Participation in India

  • June , 2026
  • Vidhi Singh | Bidisha Mondal
India’s labour market continues to show a marked structural imbalance in female workforce participation, even amid sustained economic growth since liberalisation. This factsheet examines recent trends in women’s labour market participation in India, focusing on sectoral distribution, employment status, occupational patterns, and the quality of employment.
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India’s labour market continues to show a marked structural imbalance in female workforce participation, even amid sustained economic growth since liberalisation. This factsheet examines recent trends in women’s labour market participation in India, focusing on sectoral distribution, employment status, occupational patterns, and the quality of employment.
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SWAYAM

Nayi Chetna 3.0 Assessment Report

  • April , 2026
  • Surabhi Awasthi | Arpita Paul | Alpaxee Kashyap | Moumita Sarkar
The National Gender Campaign – Nayi Chetna 3.0, implemented under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), represents effort to institutionalise gender equality and address gender-based violence (GBV) through a community-driven, convergent approach. The report highlights the campaign’s scale and innovation- over 13 lakh activities reaching crores of people nationwide alongside new pathways of engagement with adolescents, youth and men and stronger convergence across departments and community institutions.
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The National Gender Campaign – Nayi Chetna 3.0, implemented under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), represents effort to institutionalise gender equality and address gender-based violence (GBV) through a community-driven, convergent approach. The report highlights the campaign’s scale and innovation- over 13 lakh activities reaching crores of people nationwide alongside new pathways of engagement with adolescents, youth and men and stronger convergence across departments and community institutions.
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Brief

Menstrual and Menopausal Health at Work in India

  • February , 2026
  • Arundati Muralidharan, Aditi Vyas, Sharati Roy, Vidhi Singh
This policy brief highlights that menstrual and menopausal health are not temporary issues but lifelong realities that significantly affect women’s dignity, wellbeing, and participation in the workforce. Despite rising female labour force participation, workplace support for menstrual and menopausal health remains limited, particularly for women in the informal sector. The brief calls for inclusive workplace policies, stronger social protection, and greater awareness to ensure women can work with dignity and access the support they need throughout their lives.
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This policy brief highlights that menstrual and menopausal health are not temporary issues but lifelong realities that significantly affect women’s dignity, wellbeing, and participation in the workforce. Despite rising female labour force participation, workplace support for menstrual and menopausal health remains limited, particularly for women in the informal sector. The brief calls for inclusive workplace policies, stronger social protection, and greater awareness to ensure women can work with dignity and access the support they need throughout their lives.
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Brief

Union Budget: 2026-27 What It Means for Women’s Economic Empowerment

  • February , 2026
This brief examines the Union Budget 2026–27 in the context of the government’s renewed focus on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE). The Economic Survey (2025–26) highlights persistent structural barriers that limit women’s entry, retention, and advancement in the labour market, including unpaid care responsibilities, skill gaps, limited infrastructure, and barriers to entrepreneurship. The Gender Budget, the government’s key fiscal tool for addressing these challenges, has increased from ₹3.9 lakh crore in 2025–26 (Revised Estimates) to ₹5 lakh crore in 2026–27 (Budget Estimates). The brief analyses how these allocations align with the policy priorities identified in the Economic Survey and assesses whether current spending effectively addresses the demand- and supply-side barriers shaping women’s economic participation.
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This brief examines the Union Budget 2026–27 in the context of the government’s renewed focus on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE). The Economic Survey (2025–26) highlights persistent structural barriers that limit women’s entry, retention, and advancement in the labour market, including unpaid care responsibilities, skill gaps, limited infrastructure, and barriers to entrepreneurship. The Gender Budget, the government’s key fiscal tool for addressing these challenges, has increased from ₹3.9 lakh crore in 2025–26 (Revised Estimates) to ₹5 lakh crore in 2026–27 (Budget Estimates). The brief analyses how these allocations align with the policy priorities identified in the Economic Survey and assesses whether current spending effectively addresses the demand- and supply-side barriers shaping women’s economic participation.
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Brief

Care and Climate Change

  • January , 2026
The brief focuses on bridging feminist economics and climate policy, highlighting gendered care burdens, structural undervaluation of reproductive labour, and the need for transformative interventions like care-responsive adaptation and finance.
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The brief focuses on bridging feminist economics and climate policy, highlighting gendered care burdens, structural undervaluation of reproductive labour, and the need for transformative interventions like care-responsive adaptation and finance.
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Brief

Measuring Women’s Work: Innovations and Obstacles in the Global South

  • January , 2026
The brief examined challenges and innovations in capturing women’s paid and unpaid work in labour statistics. Drawing on experiences from India, South Africa, Latin America, and global systems, panelists highlighted how survey design, classifications, and institutional limits determine what is counted, and what remains invisible
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The brief examined challenges and innovations in capturing women’s paid and unpaid work in labour statistics. Drawing on experiences from India, South Africa, Latin America, and global systems, panelists highlighted how survey design, classifications, and institutional limits determine what is counted, and what remains invisible
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