Date From : Mar 25, 2021To : Mar 26, 2021
Exploring successful gender-friendly workspaces

This discussion will take place from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. IST.

Please note that registration is on a first come, first served basis. If your registration is successful, you will receive a confirmation email and a link through which you can join the webinar.


An integral part of promoting female labour force participation is ensuring that the workspaces are friendly to female workers — both physically and socially. This involves the presence of hygienic women’s toilets, creches, women’s hostels near workplaces, paternity leaves, and an HR policy that supports equal pay and equal workforce. It is estimated that by 2030 12 million women in India could lose their jobs due to automation. Therefore, skilling, re-skilling, and upskilling must be provided by companies in order to ensure that both men and women have an equal chance at tapping the changing job market. Providing similar support for the manufacturing sector is also crucial in order for there to be an equitable distribution of male and female workers in all domains of the economy.

Businesses have taken important steps to achieve gender balance in the workforce through targeted internal policy changes. State policies like the Shops and Establishments Act also mandate employers to provide door to door office conveyance for women working after 7 p.m. Most companies, however, are still wary of introducing seemingly profit-averse and costly policies, thereby keeping urban female unemployment rate at a high 10.8%. Female leadership in companies is also essential in order to achieve growth in women’s labour force participation, and gender-responsive decision making. Women business owners could potentially create 150-170 million jobs in India by 2030.

This discussion will explore issues for which we need institution-wide cooperation, such as a blueprint for inclusive workspaces, gender-equal and transparent wages, and equality in upskilling and reskilling measures to meet the demands of changing job markets.


This event is in association with the US Consulate General, Mumbai, and the Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC).


Programme

6.00 – 6:10 p.m. | Opening remarks | David J. Ranz, Mitali Mukherjee, and Rajiv Podar

6:10 – 7:00 p.m. | Case study and presentations | Chandrakant Nayak, Priyadarshini Gupta, Anupama Kaul, Raj Nair, and Aditi Ratho

7:00 – 7:25 p.m. | Moderated Q&A

7.25 – 7.30 p.m. | Closing remarks