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Earth would cease to exist before women in India see economic parity. Yes, you read that right

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Vandana
VandanaDec 18, 2019 | 15:18

Earth would cease to exist before women in India see economic parity. Yes, you read that right

The pay differences on the two sides of the glass cabins are huge. Most women are not able to make it in, unless of course, asked to come in to be assigned a job.

If Stephen Hawking is to be believed, and he never gave reasons to doubt him, human overcrowding and energy consumption would see the earth turn into a ball of fire by 2600 - 581 years from now. He suggested we colonise another planet in 100 years, to be ready to host us when the planet that we dwell on is engulfed by the flames, he claims, we are stoking.

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If the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2020 is to be believed, quite like Hawking's prediction, women in India would still not have achieved economic parity with men when the flames eat up this planet cohabited by men and women. The report says it would take 257 years to close the economic gender gap.

Why the pessimism then?

In 2018, that figure stood at 202 years. Within one year, we have increased the gap by 55 years. So, instead of closing in, we in India, are seeing the gap widen.

In 2018, India was on the 108th spot on the list of nations being assessed for gender gaps. It now stands four notches down at 112.

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In 2018, India was on the 108th spot on the list of nations being assessed for gender gaps. It now stands four notches down at 112. (Photo: Reuters)

So with all the women walking, driving and taking public transport to rush to work and then head back home, why exactly is the country seeing such a vast difference between what they earn in comparison to what is credited into the accounts of men?

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In wage equality, India is at 117th spot among the 153 countries.

The WEF report also tries to pin down the reasons that are driving the wedge wider. The report says Indian women are underrepresented in tech-oriented jobs. Around 85 per cent men dominate professions such as engineering and artificial intelligence worldwide, while domains like content creation and culture see more (over 50 per cent) of female workforce.

Globally, 36 per cent senior managers in the private sector and officials in the public sector are women, while the presence of women on corporate boards or as top business leaders is even more limited. Only 18.2 per cent firms globally are led by a woman, and on an average, 22.3 per cent board members in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries are women. In India, that figure stands at a dismal 13.8 per cent.

Tech-oriented jobs tend to be better paying than jobs women mostly land up doing. But the most significant reason seems to be underrepresentation of women in managerial and leadership positions where salaries tend to be much higher.

The pay differences on the two sides of the glass cabins are huge. Most women are not able to make it in; unless of course, asked to come in to be assigned a job. Their salaries thus stay lower. Despite all the sloganeering, India still seems to believe gender justice ends with ending female foeticide.

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Lack of healthcare infrastructure and capital also contribute to wider gender economic gap because they act as impediments for women aspiring to pursue entrepreneurial interests.

But there is a glimmer of hope that India, perhaps, can capitalise on. The report says that improvements in senior roles in the labour market are often seen when there is an improvement in political representation of women.

India has seen the gender gap shrink in the political space. According to the report, the country will now take 95 years to bridge the gap in politics. In 2018, the figure was 107 years.

Cheering already?

Hold on.

Despite the improvement in politics, Indian women make up only 14.4 per cent of the country's Parliament and 23 per cent of the Cabinet. With those numbers, they are yet far from having any noticeable impact on the economic life of women.

The general argument is that when educational standards improve, women's participation in all spheres improve. That, however, is a snail-slow process. The bottom-up approach has only seen the economic disparity increase. Perhaps, a top-down approach would help.

We sure do not have the luxury of time to see economic gender parity come even close to realisation.

Remember, the planet is simmering.

Last updated: December 18, 2019 | 15:18
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