NITI Aayog Report on Gender Parity at the Workplace

1. The “From Intent to Impact” compendium is a joint initiative by NITI Aayog and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
2. The compendium provides a strategic roadmap for achieving gender parity in Indian workplaces.
3. Achieving gender parity is crucial for India to become a $30 trillion economy by 2047.
4. This requires adding an estimated 145 million women to the workforce.
5. Gender parity also contributes to SDG 5: Gender Equality. It further supports SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Structural and Social Barriers Hindering Gender Parity

Entry Barriers

1. Entry barriers include unconscious bias in recruitment.
   • Unconscious bias refers to unintended prejudices affecting hiring decisions.
2. Gendered occupational stereotyping limits women to certain professions.
3. For example, in STEM fields, 43% of graduates are women, but only 27% are employed in these roles in India.

Retention Barriers

1. Retention barriers arise due to the maternity penalty faced by working mothers.
   • The maternity penalty refers to the disadvantages women face in career progression due to maternity.
2. Around 75% of working mothers experience career setbacks after childbirth.

Growth Barriers

1. Women are often excluded from informal “old boys’ club” networks.
   • Old boys’ club networks are informal male-dominated professional groups that influence opportunities.
2. Lack of structured leadership development programs restricts career advancement.

Systemic Issues

1. Globally, women perform 76% of unpaid care work.
   • Unpaid care work includes household chores, childcare, and eldercare that are not financially compensated.
2. This burden limits women’s economic participation.

Way Forward: Lifecycle Approach to Gender Parity

Promoting Entry (Hiring)

1. Organizations should implement gender-neutral recruitment practices.
2. Blind screening removes personal identifiers to reduce bias in hiring.
3. Targeted outreach encourages applications from diverse talent pools.
4. Companies like Capgemini and Unilever use AI tools in job descriptions to attract women.

Enabling Retention

1. Inclusive parental leave policies support employee retention.
2. Flexible work models help employees balance professional and personal responsibilities.
3. Providing childcare support ensures women can continue working after childbirth.
   • For example, Netflix offers unlimited parental leave.

Ensuring Growth and Progress

1. Programs like PropelHER and SheLeads coach women in negotiation and strategic thinking.
2. These programs aim to improve women’s leadership and decision-making skills.

Building Inclusive Culture

1. Companies must ensure significant female representation on boards of directors.
2. Tech Mahindra and Genpact are examples of organizations with inclusive board representation.

Case Studies: Global and Indian Best Practices Equal Pay & Legal Protection In Germany, the Wage Transparency Act allows employees to request salary data. New Zealand’s Equal Pay Amendment Act ensures pay equity across sectors. Shared Care & Parental Leave Norway enforces a father’s quota of parental leave to promote shared caregiving. Spain offers 16 weeks of parental leave to both parents. Flexible Work & Returnship In the United Kingdom, employees have the legal right to request flexible working hours. In India, Tata and Accenture run returnship programs for women returning to work after childbirth. Structural & Institutional Enablers Denmark guarantees universal subsidized childcare. France provides public crèches and tax incentives to support workplace childcare.