Report on Women’s Economic Empowerment and its Impact on Sustainable Development Goals in India

Introduction: The Nexus of Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality (SDG 5)

This report examines the critical role of women’s income in challenging patriarchal structures and advancing multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in India. Economic empowerment is identified as a primary catalyst for shifting household dynamics and societal norms, thereby directly contributing to the achievement of Gender Equality (SDG 5). Case studies, such as that of Rehana from Andhra Pradesh, illustrate a significant transformation in domestic treatment and agency following the attainment of a stable income. This shift underscores a crucial tipping point where financial pragmatism overcomes traditional social constraints.

The Economic Landscape for Women in India: Challenges to SDG 8 and SDG 10

Despite progress in areas like education, significant barriers persist, hindering progress towards Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10) for women in India.

• Income Disparity: The World Inequality Report 2022 highlights a stark gender gap, with men earning 82% of labour income compared to women’s 18%.
• Wage Gap: National labour statistics indicate that the average salaried woman earns ₹15,722 per month, significantly less than the male average of ₹20,666. This gap is even more pronounced in sectors like manufacturing.
• Socio-Economic Barriers: A prevalent “honour-income trade-off” creates resistance to women’s employment unless their earnings cross a substantial threshold, proving their contribution is essential rather than supplementary to household welfare.

Emerging Employment Models as Catalysts for Change

Innovative employment models are proving effective in helping women surpass the income threshold required to gain familial acceptance and economic independence, thereby advancing SDG 5 and SDG 8.

1. The Gig Economy:
   • Platforms like Urban Company provide flexible work opportunities that align with social expectations.
   • Female service partners on the platform earned an average of ₹33,469 monthly in 2023, substantially higher than the national female average.
   • Notably, these women earned 23% more per hour than their male counterparts on the same platform, directly challenging conventional wage gaps.
2. Flexi-Staffing Solutions:
   • Firms such as Quess offer formal entry points into the workforce, employing a significant number of women (20% of its 500,000 associates).
   • Community-based recruitment strategies are used to secure family and community buy-in, easing the transition into employment.
   • Data indicates that women who remain employed past a 90-day threshold are highly likely to continue long-term, suggesting that sustained income leads to familial acceptance.

Financial Inclusion and Agency: A Key Driver for SDG 1 and SDG 5

Access to financial services is a critical component of women’s economic empowerment, contributing to poverty alleviation (SDG 1) and enhancing gender equality (SDG 5).

• Financial platforms, such as Quess’s DASH, provide salary advances and interest-free loans, addressing the credit access gap for women.
• Analysis shows that women who utilized these financial services had lower turnover rates, indicating that financial agency positively impacts job retention and familial support.
• Women associates predominantly use these funds for productive purposes, including education fees, healthcare, and household improvements, visibly demonstrating their contribution to family well-being.

A Critical Juncture for India’s Development Trajectory

India is at a pivotal moment where strategic action is required to leverage its human capital for sustainable development.

• Educational Attainment (SDG 4): More women than men are now graduating from university, yet this educational achievement is not translating into proportional labour force participation.
• Demographic Window: With a fertility rate approaching replacement levels, India has a limited, one-generation window to maximize its female talent pool to drive economic growth (SDG 8) before population growth stabilizes.

Case Study and Policy Recommendations for Accelerating Progress

Case Study: Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu

• The region demonstrates a successful transformation where targeted industrial growth has radically improved female employment.
• Over the past decade, the female labour force participation rate has nearly doubled, driven by the electronics manufacturing sector, which actively recruited women.
• As women’s incomes rose, often exceeding ₹15,000 per month, their financial position and status within households strengthened, leading to increased family support for their employment.

Policy Recommendations

To replicate such success and accelerate progress towards the SDGs, coordinated interventions are necessary:

1. Corporate Action: Companies must actively hire women and implement transparent, equitable pay structures to ensure the value of women’s work is recognized and fairly compensated.
2. Government Intervention: Governments should enact and enforce policies that address the gender wage gap and provide incentives for industries that create decent work opportunities for women, thereby leveling the playing field.

Conclusion: Economic Pragmatism as a Tool to Achieve SDG 5

The evidence strongly suggests that patriarchy is not an immutable barrier but a social structure that can be dismantled through economic pragmatism. When a woman’s financial contribution to her household becomes undeniable, it fundamentally alters power dynamics and fosters greater gender equality. The primary challenge, therefore, is to implement targeted strategies that enable more women to cross the income threshold that makes their economic participation indispensable, thereby accelerating progress towards SDG 5, SDG 8, and SDG 10.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This is the central theme of the article. It directly addresses the challenge of patriarchy and how women’s economic empowerment can lead to greater equality. The article discusses issues like violence against women (Rehana’s story), women’s agency in household decisions, and the need to end discrimination.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article focuses extensively on women’s participation in the workforce. It examines the quality of employment through gig work and flexi-staffing, highlights the gender wage gap, and advocates for full, productive, and fairly paid employment for women as a means of economic growth.
• SDG 1: No Poverty: The article connects women’s income directly to household welfare. It argues that when a woman’s earnings cross a certain threshold, it significantly contributes to the family’s financial stability, thereby helping to lift households out of poverty and improve their overall well-being.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article explicitly points out the vast income inequality between men and women in India. It cites the World Inequality Report 2022, which states that men hold 82% of labour income while women have only 18%. By advocating for closing the gender wage gap and increasing women’s earnings, the article addresses the core of reducing income inequality.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The article describes the “constant resistance from family and community” and traditional patriarchal norms as forms of discrimination that women face when they try to enter the workforce.
• Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres. Rehana’s story provides a stark example of domestic violence, where being hit was a daily reality. Her economic independence led to a shift in power dynamics at home, reducing her vulnerability.
• Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work. The article acknowledges that “Women already do an enormous amount of unpaid labour at home,” highlighting that their entry into the paid workforce is an additional burden that must be offset by significant economic returns.
• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities… in economic… life. The entire article is a call to action for this target, arguing that increasing women’s income and workforce participation gives them greater “agency both at home and in society.”
• Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The article directly addresses this by highlighting India’s “dismally low” female labour force participation and the significant gender wage gap, where the “average salaried man earns ₹20,666 per month, whereas the average woman earns ₹15,722.”
• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… sex. The article’s main argument is that economic inclusion (through higher income) is a direct pathway to social inclusion for women, breaking down patriarchal barriers.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Proportion of women subjected to physical violence by an intimate partner (Indicator 5.2.1): This is qualitatively indicated by Rehana’s story, where the women’s response to being asked if they were hit was, “Ask if we were hit today?” Progress is shown when her mother-in-law’s behaviour changes due to Rehana’s income.
• Female labour force participation rate: The article explicitly mentions this is “dismally low” nationally but has “nearly doubled” in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, over the past decade, with women comprising “over 40% of workers in certain manufacturing and electronics sectors.”
• Gender pay gap (related to Indicator 8.5.1): The article provides multiple data points to measure this gap:
  • Women hold only 18% of labour income in India, compared to 82% for men.
  • The average salaried woman earns ₹15,722 per month, while a man earns ₹20,666.
  • In the manufacturing sector, women earn only 40% of what their male counterparts earn.
  • Conversely, on the Urban Company platform, female workers earned 23% more per hour than male counterparts (₹363 vs. ₹294).
• Proportion of women in the workforce of specific companies/sectors: The article provides figures that can be used as indicators, such as “one-third of Urban Company’s workforce being women” and 20% of Quess’s associates being women.
• Women’s access to financial services: This is implied through the mention of Quess’s DASH platform, which offers salary advances and interest-free loans to women, who “struggle to access credit.” The lower turnover rate for women who used DASH serves as an indicator of its positive impact.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: hindustantimes.com