Introduction

‘To achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’ is the 5^th goal in the list of United Nation’s list of sustainable development goals. But why do need gender equality to be sustainable? The reasons are in abundance.

Gender equality is not just a basic human right but also forms the foundation of a healthy and prosperous society. It has the capability to pave the way for reduced crime, poverty, and illness. Gender equality saves lives; globally the lack of empowerment and resources does not allow women the ability to defend themselves who are in a far more vulnerable position in life threatening situations like natural calamities and disasters. Giving them the position and tools to develop this capability will allow them to defend themselves better. Better healthcare for women, an essential aspect of achieving gender equality will also help save many female lives that succumb to treatable conditions that do not receive enough care/attention.

Economic well being too, is determined by gender equality. Gender equality has been conclusively shown to stimulate economic growth, which is important especially in countries with high unemployment rates and less economic opportunity. UN Women reported that in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries, half of the economic growth over the past 50 years is attributed to girls having better access to education and a decrease in the gap between the number of years of schooling that girls receive when compared to boys. But many have failed to realize the value of achieving parity amongst the genders.

Despite the efforts of many organisations and governments, women across the globe are disadvantaged in almost all spheres of life when compared to males. For example, the World Bank reported that many women around the world are still prevented by law from working in certain jobs. In 18 countries, men can legally forbid their wives from working. Even when women do work, the gender pay gap means they are not earning as much as men. Globally, women only earn 81 cents for every dollar that men earn.

Relevance to India

4 Years after independence, the sex ratio in India was 946 females for every 1000 males. 64 years after independence, the sex ratio still had not reached an equal level (940 females for every 1000 males according to the 2011 census). As of 2020 less than one-quarter (20.3%) of women aged 15 and older participate in the labor force. World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index that measures gender equality, based on the relative gaps between women and men across 4 key areas: health, education, economy, and politics, ranked India at 112 out of 153 countries in 2020. Needless to say, gender equality still remains largely unachieved in the Indian context.

The deeply patriarchal Indian culture is fraught with the signs of gender inequality. Turn your head in any direction and it will still be clearly visible; be it in movies, the media, the government or in the men and women who care for us. This inequality creates unequal opportunities that affect both genders but one (females) is much more disadvantaged.

Globally, the female child has a greater survival rate than males, but in India the opposite is true. Female infanticide is a monster that still rears its head in the dark alleys of our country. By high school, as high as 57% of girls drop out. Growing up, these girls see a world different from the boys, a world where every 16 minutes, another rape is reported. While boys have more freedom and options, girls grow up under extensive restrictions that affect their say and decision making ability in all spheres of life - work, education, marriage and social relationships. These differences continue to expand and continue into adulthood. But these differences come at a dore cost. India will not fully develop unless both girls and boys are equally supported to reach their full potential.

It has been estimated that achieving gender parity could help boost India’s economy by upto 27%. Government initiatives like ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ has been instrumental in improving the Child Sex Ratio at birth in 104 out of the 161 districts it has been implemented in. On the education front, gender gaps in primary and secondary education enrolment have been closed while the tertiary education gender gap this year is nearly closing - for the first time. The government has also introduced programs focused on young women such as the ‘Mudra Yojana Scheme for Women’ which helps them start new enterprises or businesses without mortgaging an asset.

But the pursuit of gender equality is not just the government’s responsibility. It can be achieved only through conscious effort on all our parts.

Business Implications and Responses

In recent years, the business requirement of gender equality has gained momentum. It is now considered that gender equality and the advancement of women in the workplace not only benefits women but has clear advantages for businesses. A gender-sensitive approach can be useful for companies to recruit and retain their best employees, improve productivity and competitiveness, and ensure proper utilization of human resources. This can also help in building a good public image of the organization and attract quality talent. Undervaluing women's work and not using their skills properly is a loss to the overall economy. With an anticipated skill shortage and demographic change, it makes sense, even economically to try and remove the barriers for women in paid work as well as barriers for men in domestic work and family care.

Increasingly, policymakers go to managers, workers’ organizations, and business associations to take up the responsibility to establish workplaces in which both men and women can work equally and are reasonably rewarded for their commitments. But it is always preferable to adopt gender equality measures voluntarily than by compulsion. Consequently, various governments have tried to bring these issues to light and give incentives to improve the conditions for women's progression in the corporate sector and promote better gender balance in management and economic decision-making, across occupations and sectors, and in the share of work and family duties. But even then progress has been moderate, and the improvements which are being seen in the corporate sector in terms of gender equality are unevenly spread across areas and working environments. While an increasing number of employers have begun to introduce measures to improve women's opportunities, many still have not, and this makes workers who have no access to such good practice face the brunt. Nevertheless, government regulation through policies, have the ability to contribute to increasing access across workplaces and sectors.

Companies today are finding ways to break barriers and effectively address gender inequality problems. The United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles offer guidance for organizations to empower women in workforce, communities, and marketplaces. The International Finance Corporation has also announced a partnership program called ‘She Works’ that helps boost job opportunities and labour market prospects for women in collaboration with businesses. Organizations like WeConnect International support women-owned businesses through certifications and help them connect with multinational buyers.

Systems to certify companies and products based on gender equality criteria are also emerging. The Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) scheme, launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2011, looks at policies, outcomes, and employee self-reports to assess gender equality at businesses. The certification process also highlights areas of opportunities in workplaces that harness talent irrespective of gender. L'Oreal was the first company to receive EDGE certification in 2014.

Some businesses are tackling gender inequality issues in an integrated way. They are setting gender diversity targets to increase the representation of women at different management levels and establish equal pay policies. They are also advocating equal representation of women on boards of directors. The Coca-Cola Company has four women on its 15-person board. It also considers "Women" as one of the three components of its Sustainability Plan along with "Water" and "Well-being". In 2010, the company introduced the 5By20 program to support economic empowerment of women who formed a part of their global value chain. At Reckitt Benckiser, 4 out of the 11 Board members are women. The company also fosters gender equality through programs like DARE to attract, develop and retain women workforce. It has also been successful in reducing the mean pay gap from 7.9% in 2018 to 6.8% in 2019.

Majority of businesses invest in CSR activities to support women empowerment. Hindustan Unilever's (HUL) Shakti Initiative facilitates a distribution system using a network of women entrepreneurs who get HUL's products directly to consumers. The project helps rural women start businesses and earn a livelihood while extending HUL's reach into untapped markets. JSW Steel facilitates awareness programs on gender parity, sexual harassment, domestic violence, legal rights and carries out gender sensitization programs to increase awareness. Bajaj Auto partners with organizations like IISER and Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation to promote women empowerment.

Businesses, over the years, have realized that SDGs, apart from responsibilities, are business opportunities. Efforts are being taken to integrate the goals in their core businesses for sustainable growth.

Analysis and the path ahead

Some forms of gender inequality exist in every household, workplace, and society at large. The root of this challenge is in every home. The moment a child is born, different expectations for different genders come into place. As with the expectations, the behavior towards the kid changes, and hence it creates a disparity from childhood. The types of toys provided to the kids by their parents also differ with respect to gender. As one grows, it starts building up and starts accepting it as a tradition or norm of the society. Thus, studies show how individuals feel about their gender depending on how they are treated in society.

This inequality has been enhanced by the history of discrimination towards the female gender. The lack of education, employment, poor medical care, religious restrictions, racism, and job segregation are a few major reasons leading to gender inequality. Also, females, in history, have had less political representation and legal protection from the government, thus increasing inequality.

Even in an educated society, the male gender is perceived as having greater technical knowledge than other genders. Also, it has been seen that although women might be working, the traditional expectation of taking care of the children and family only by the women persists. Thus, even when women contribute to the family's economic benefit, it increases the working hours and stress for them. Also, most of the higher positions in a job are occupied by the male gender as males tend to promote males in work places, thus creating more discrimination towards the female gender. Also, it has been seen that different business line in a company takes care of gender inclusion in a very discrete manner.

Gender inequality derives from a dynamic combination of cultural and structural influences, that need to be tackled. Children are still socialized from birth through stereotypical conceptions of femininity and masculinity, through developments since this time, and gender-based stereotyping still continues to incorporate these notions.

About a quarter of individuals already believe that going to university is more necessary for a male than a female. Also girls are twice as likely as boys to be engaged in domestic child labour. If we want to question the status quo effectively, we have to inspire girls and women and identify new role models.

Apart from education there’s discrimination at workplace as well. Data for the United Kingdom and other Western countries suggest that disparities in how much time is spent on the job, sexism in wage deals and derogatory perceptions about women in the workplace are some of the most relevant reasons for the gender pay disparity today.

To rectify this, there is a lot that corporations should do. Not only is it the right thing to do but it is crucial to recruit and retain top talent by removing gender inequality. In reality, businesses in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15 percent more likely to financially outperform their rivals.

Both gender goals have been set by Accenture, Barclays, Credit Suisse UK and KPMG, split down by business lines and roles. Interim goals and timelines have been explicitly established, so that they can constantly evaluate themselves against their targets.

In addition, administrators and decision-makers are held accountable and responsible for achieving those expectations.

Unilever and Vodafone also found that blind screening systems have allowed them to recruit from more varied backgrounds, including career sample assessments and neuroscientific tests of the aptitude and expertise of a candidate.

Workplaces are changing their attitude towards gender diversity, and as a part of inclusion, the new challenge is the inclusion of the transgender. Awareness can help in increasing the acceptance of this third gender by the change of societal mindset. The government is also making an effort towards improving their economic condition by providing education, legal protection, and other essential requirements.

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