Way To Growth Is To Get More Women Into Workforce: Rajiv Anand

Talking about women’s strength in the workforce and growth of the Indian economy, Axis Bank Executive Director, Rajiv Anand, said that one of the ways to ensure growth is to get more women into the workforce. “It is fair to say that the statistics of women’s participation in workforce in India is appalling to say the least. We rank less likely than any other country in the G-20 except Saudi Arabia. India comes at 121 in 131 countries in Female Labour Force Participation,” he said at the Digital Women Awards held on November 18.

Anand delved into how working women also impact the lives of the future generations. He said that while increasing women’s participation in the workforce influences economy, it also contributes and plays a key role in shaping their children’s future as well. He referred to an article by Harvard Business School which deduces that daughters of working mothers are more likely to work themselves, hold supervisory positions and earn higher wages. He further stated that sons of working mothers grow up to have an egalitarian gender attitude and are more likely to share household chores.

"Setting up and nurturing an organization is like raising a child and the pressures on you in investing your time and energy at your work while managing your families is indeed high. It is a delicate balance that women workers and entrepreneurs excel at"

During his speech, Anand urged that concerted policies and a national-level effort be initiated to encourage women’s participation in the workforce and to ensure that their participation continues despite the women having families to raise and aging parents to take care of. “Encouraging women entrepreneurship is an important step in this direction. Women and society as a whole need more role models and examples of women who are successfully managing challenging careers and men who support them by being equal partners at home."

ALSO READ: Winners In The E-Commerce Category: DWA 2018

Setting up and nurturing an organization is like raising a child and the pressures on you in investing your time and energy at your work while managing your families is indeed high. It is a delicate balance that women workers and entrepreneurs excel at,” he said.

Anand is a huge champion for promoting women’s entrepreneurship. His consistent efforts in bringing gender equality and speaking up about it, particularly in terms of workforce, shows that for a society to become truly gender equal, men in leadership positions need to join the fight towards a more gender-just workforce.

More Stories by Poorvi Gupta