UPSC DAW Mains Answer Writing 2025 16th September
Question
“India’s gender gap in economic participation is not a recent phenomenon; it has been a persistent structural challenge, reflecting the wider gender inequalities prevalent in society.” In this context discuss the persistent barriers limiting women’s economic participation and how gender data can aid in addressing these challenges.
Model Answer
Introduction: The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) placed India at the 131st position among 148 countries, highlighting deep structural barriers to achieving gender parity. In the same report, India scored only 40.7% under the subindex of Economic Participation and Opportunity, which is significantly lower compared to developed countries.
Reasons limiting the economic participation of women:
Social norms Patriarchy enforces predefined roles for men and women, often confining women to domestic duties while men are expected to be the breadwinners and decision-makers.
Increased burden of unpaid care work Women spend about 289 minutes per day on unpaid domestic work—three times more than men—restricting their workforce participation.
Invisibility in economic metrics and budgets Policy decisions often overlook women’s needs, resulting in gender-blind budgets that fail to promote equality. For instance, in the Union Budget 2025–26, ₹4.49 lakh crore was allotted for women’s development, which is still lower compared to allocations in developed countries.
Gender bias and lack of leadership opportunities Employers may prefer men due to stereotypes that women will prioritize family over work. Women hold only 17% of top executive roles and 20% of board positions in Indian companies, reflecting limited opportunities for advancement.
Limited access to formal education and skill training About 40% of girls aged 15–18 are out of school, and female literacy (65%) is lower than male literacy (82%). This educational gap, especially in technical and professional fields, reduces opportunities for women to access well-paid or formal sector jobs.
Need for gender data to achieve India’s economic ambitions:
Economic opportunities Gender data provides crucial insights into disparities between genders in terms of employment, wages, and access to opportunities.
Policy and legislation Gender-disaggregated data serves as evidence of inequalities, enabling more equitable policy design. Example: The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched based on skewed sex ratio data.
Gender budgeting Gender data enables more equitable resource distribution and allocation of funds to schemes that directly benefit women.
Infrastructure and safety Gender-based data reveals how different genders use and experience services, allowing for more inclusive and safer infrastructure design.
Other indicators Gender data helps track maternal mortality ratio (MMR), adolescent fertility rate, educational attainment, and access to financial services, thereby enabling targeted interventions.
Conclusion: Although India has made significant efforts toward gender parity, the lack of adequate gender-disaggregated data continues to hinder progress. Strengthening initiatives such as the Women’s Economic Empowerment Index launched by Uttar Pradesh can guide better policymaking. As India improves its data systems and promotes women’s participation in the workforce, it can move closer to achieving SDG 5 and realize one of the key pillars of Viksit Bharat @2047—ensuring at least 70% women’s workforce participation in the country.