Six research projects were chosen for the first “Southern Voice on the State of the Sustainable Development Goals” (SVSS)report.
Today we present the proposed research by PAC India (Public Affairs Centre), titled:
“Will women be a part of India’s future workforce? The Quest for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in India”
Southern Voice (SV): Why did you choose this topic for your SVSS research?
Public Affairs Centre (PAC): There is an alarming decline in female labour force participation rate in India. Even with India’s high economic growth, the gap between India’s development and economic trajectories has become apparent. Underlying structure-agency issues faced by women are acting as barriers to sustainable livelihoods. It is proven that for a country to successfully transition from a middle-to high-income state, development and economic outcomes must advance in tandem. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, it is estimated that if gender parity is achieved in terms of labour, India’s GDP could grow by up to $700 billion. That is why at PAC we decided that identifying the issues faced by Indian women in terms of labour and skilling, from the viewpoints of demand and supply, would be the focus of the project.
SV: What do you expect the contribution of the research to be on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) you chose for the project?
PAC: This project intends to shed light on the state of two SDGs in India: SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). It will be done from the perspective of a Global South country that is also the largest democracy in the world. Specifically, the study seeks to underscore the relationship between skilling and improved labour outcomes for women in India. Even in many developed nations, gender parity at the workplace has not been completely solved. Policies and strategies that may have helped alleviate the issue to some extent in these countries may not be as effective in developing countries. This is due to innate, systemic concerns that may be unique to the Global South. By identifying factors affecting SDGs 4 and 8 through a gender lens, this study wants to add dimensions of inclusion (‘Leave No One Behind’). We want to identify trade-offs and synergies between the SDGs in terms of implementation and outcomes.
SV: How do you expect the results of your research to influence the discussion in your country on the SDGs of your project?
PAC: The current Indian government has placed a lot of emphasis on skilling the youth of India. National skilling schemes account for significant portions of the annual budget. The flagship programme, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), aims at skilling the underprivileged youth in India with sector-specific skillsets for employability. While guidelines mention certain provisions for women under this skilling scheme, the enforcement and outcome are yet to be determined. Our research is looking into identifying factors that skilling schemes should consider in order to include and create sustainable livelihoods for women in India. This study also wants to kick off a dialogue on an improved implementation of SDG 8. For example, with policies that can remove the identified structure-agency barriers and make economic empowerment for women in India a reality.
About the SVSS project
The Southern Voice “State of the SDGs” initiative will provide evidence-based analysis and recommendations to improve the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a collaborative initiative, the program will compile a broad range of perspectives that are usually missing from international debates. The aim of this report is to fill an existing knowledge gap. Southern Voice is confident that it will enrich the discussions on the SDGs and level the playfield with new voices from the Global South.
About Public Affairs Centre (PAC)
Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is a not for profit Think Tank. It was established in 1994 with the mandate to improve the quality of governance in India. PAC engages in Social Accountability (SA) based action research on Sustainable Development in India. PAC’s action research focuses on addressing the challenge of equitable, inclusive and sustainable development.
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