Better education leads to better labor market outcomes and higher earnings on average, however, these educational gains for women are not translating into labor-market gains in general. Globally, female labor force participation is 47%, while male labor force participation is 72%. Despite having a high level of education and the same educational qualifications and work experience as men, women’s employment in India is extremely low. Similarly, while India leads the world in producing female STEM graduates, it ranks 19th in employing them. These figures hold true in other fields as well. The large disparity between the number of females graduating each year and those entering the labor force is a critical issue that must be addressed.
This gender disparity stems from a variety of underlying causes, such as society, the private sector, and the government. There is a rooted patriarchal mindset in our society which leads to intolerance towards women and creates the most significant barrier for women to succeed; unhealthy practices in the private sector, such as unequal opportunities and work distribution, and those in the public sector, such as asking personal questions to female candidates, discourage women from entering the workplace; and a lack of proper implementation of gender-friendly policies fuel the growing gender gap in employment.
One of the most significant challenges that women face in the workplace is the pay gap, which, as many activists believe, is due to a lack of female representation in the workplace, particularly in leadership positions. Girls are frequently raised with the idea that their primary responsibility is to their family, so as they grow older, they begin to consider careers that will allow them to have more flexibility, set hours, and so on, even if it means earning less money.
“We will not have many women in positions of leadership until we have enough role models in male-dominated jobs. It takes a long time to change societal mindsets. And, because women are constantly told to balance work and home life, they are willing to make—what they believe—more practical sacrifices,” says Anoop Singh Bishnoi.
“Society as a whole needs to redefine and deconstruct its attitudes towards working women. Bridging the gender wage gap is thus not solely the responsibility of one stakeholder. Given that the causes are the result of flaws on multiple levels, the solutions must be developed collaboratively as well. A progressive outlook from the bottom of society, the government supporting the cause by developing and correctly implementing gender-inclusive policies, and employers doing their best to create inclusive and safe workplaces—both private and public—can all work together to bring us closer to gender parity,” Anoop adds.
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