Empowering women in India Inc

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Saturday , May 10, 2008 at 2109 hrs practitioner of women empowerment. Says Rekha Seal, ethics counsellor, MD’s Office, Tata Steel, “We have taken several initiatives to empower women in Tata Steel, such as the Tejaswini—a pioneering empowerment programme for office girls willing to operate heavy motor equipment.”

The programme has trained around 50 female employees. Out of these, seven have received the Prime Minister’s Shram Devi award. The company has a women empowerment cell, comprising members of management and unionised women that looks after women’s issues and organise need-based training for underprivileged women.

But more such initiatives are badly needed. Because, outside the urban expanses, most women still prefers home to a corporate office and family takes precedence over fulfilling avenues for women outside. It is not just an isolated Indian problem. According to data (2004), women in South Asia have the lowest share in employment at 17.6% against the world average of 42%. Another problem is, although women in urban corporate houses manage to get equal pay for equal work, in rural areas poor women tend to work for a pittance. Some corporate houses are making slow inroads into this sector.

Says Vinita Bimbhet, president, Ficci Ladies Organisation, Bombay, and director, Grameen Initiative for Women: “The underlying causes of gender inequality are related to social and economic structure, which is based on informal and formal norms, and practices. Consequently, the access of women—particularly, those belonging to weaker sections and minorities, a majority of whom are in the rural areas and in the informal, unorganised sector—to education, health and productive resources is inadequate. Therefore, they remain largely marginalised, poor and socially excluded.”

The solution lies in creating an environment through positive economic and social policies for the full development of women to enable them to realise their full potential. Says Chowdhury of PwC, “If we look beyond the corporate boundaries, quite a few companies, such as Hindalco and ITC, are working towards women’s empowerment in the rural areas. This is what the first step to really empower women should be—curbing female foeticide, eliminating child marriages and promoting welfare.”