India's missing demographic dividend: an analysis of the decline in economic participation of women and its impact

Daily Capsule | 21st March Hello Today, as we celebrate Holi, the Indian festival of colours, we are reminded of another recent celebration that most of us participated in: the celebration of women. All through this month, in the wake of International Women's Day, many of us have participated in events and ceremonies, where we celebrated the stories of some extraordinary women and recognised their far-reaching impact in many fields. We've also participated in forums and conferences, deliberating at length about the state of women's rights and the need for organisations and governments to do more to increase the participation of women in workforce and ensure gender equality. And yet, amid all this rhetoric, the numbers tell their own story. In fact, about 77 percent of working age women in India continue to be locked out of the job markets, implying a significant loss of economic opportunity. This points to larger systemic, socio-cultural factors that hamper the participation of women in workforce, [prompting us at YourStory to analyse the numbers]( and unravel what it means for India. In an attempt to quantify India’s lost demographic dividend, YourStory Research, the research arm of YourStory Media, has conducted a deep-dive analysis of India’s female labour force participation rate. The YourStory Research report, titled ['India's Missing Demographic Dividend',]( outlines the factors impacting India’s relatively lower LFPR and analyses the economic impact of the lost potential of millions of women who have been locked out of the job market. YourStory Research analyst Shailesh Jha writes, "For those of us who believe that demography is destiny, this missing dividend – which is equivalent to the entire workforce of western Europe today – should highlight the enormity of a lost opportunity.” [Download a copy of the full YourStory Research report here.]( Cheers, Team YourStory Stories you shouldn't miss Homegrown startups are working on the 'local' voice In the last couple of years, companies across sectors have been adopting Indian languages to better cater to the local audience. While most websites and apps still continue to use English, there is a definite change taking place. [But the audience was still missing something - voice. And Indian startups are now tapping into this market.]( Zomato's tamper-proof packaging is here Last December, foodtech startup Zomato was in a soup when a video of one of its delivery partners eating food from a delivery package went viral. [The company announced that they are launching tamper-proof packaging to avoid such incidents in the future.]( it did! Zomato has launched 'Zomato Safely Sealed' packages in large and small sizes, designed to make effective utilisation of space. The state of the blue-collar gig economy in India From food deliveries to cab drivers, security staff, and maintenance and school workers, [blue-collar workers are everywhere.]( And a majority of this workforce comes from villages, with people migrating to the cities in search of better jobs. [BetterPlace, a platform for blue-collar workers,]( estimates that out of more than 21 lakh jobs across select verticals in 2019-20, the gig economy will account for over 14 lakh jobs. -- [Click Here]( to unsubscribe from this newsletter.