During the pandemic, more women in India lost their jobs compared to men. According to a UN report, joblessness among women post-pandemic is at 47%, while for men it is at 7%. This has had a significant impact on the female workforce, especially in rural areas and urban slums.
Traditionally viewed as free domestic workers in their homes, women are now facing economic challenges due to the pandemic. This has led to a reevaluation of policies and support systems for women, who constitute half of our productive human resources. How can we encourage women to rejoin the workforce, address the gap year bias, and integrate them back into mainstream roles? How can we enhance their skills and leverage their existing strengths?
The first installment of the Thinc series on Gender, taking place on Wednesday, will explore these questions. Titled “Gender-responsive economic recovery and bouncing back better,” this webinar series by Iwwage aims to facilitate a constructive conversation and propose policy recommendations involving experts from academia, industry, civil society, and government.
The event will commence with a keynote address by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and MoS in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Following the address, there will be a panel discussion featuring Renana Jhabvala, Chair of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA Bharat), Manish Sabharwal, Chairman of Team Lease, and Avani Kapur, Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. Aanchal Magazine, Special Correspondent at The Indian Express, will moderate the session.
