Gender needs to be prioritised in flagship national schemes, say UN Women and leading economists

For immediate release

Landmark policy briefs by UN Women, economists, Planning Commission and Ministry of Women and Child Development call on the Government to take urgent action to transform national policy and schemes for women in India

New Delhi - Policies are not Gender Neutral recognises the progress made in India – with specific schemes for women like the Integrated Child Development Scheme – but also highlights how women could benefit from large scale national schemes for infrastructure, health or education. These are some of the findings of Policies are not Gender Neutral, a set of eight policy briefs that were launched today in the presence of policy makers and activists. Authored by leading economists and UN Women, the briefs examine eight national flagship schemes for their impact on women.

Launching the policy briefs, Honorable Ms. Krishna Tirath, Minister for Women and Child Development said: “With the inputs that we have got from these renowned economists, we will now work with the concerned line ministries to convince them to take action that the gender gaps identified in key policies and sectors are implemented. This dialogue today will give us the substance for gender mainstreaming with line ministries.”

The economists found that some policies could be made far more responsive to the needs of women in their homes, the workplace and public life. Gender, moreover, is sometimes not seen as a concern in mainstream sectors such as infrastructure and manufacturing. Even ‘women-related’ sectors such as health, nutrition and education could do a lot better on the gender front.

“From our comprehensive review of these schemes, it is clear that much more needs to be done to put the right approaches in place on issues such as economic participation of women. We see that across India, a great deal has been achieved to advance women’s rights, however, much remains to be done for half of its population,” said Anne F. Stenhammer, Regional Programme Director of UN Women South Asia.

Women are adversely affected by schemes for infrastructure and manufacturing:

• In the analysis of the mega infrastructure programme, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the authors argue that the programme has in many instances resulted in displacement of traditional livelihoods of poor women. This is largely due to the infrastructure-based approach of the programme. “We recommend a thorough review of the policy for its impact on the livelihoods of urban poor at the inception stage itself,” said Yamini Mishra, Gender Responsive Budgeting Specialist, UN Women speaking about the Policy Brief on JNNURM.
• A large proportion of women are engaged in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) as wage earners as well as entrepreneurs.  Despite this, women entrepreneurs face both societal and systemic barriers. Sectors with  predominantly women workforce such  as  the coir industry need greater focus. “Training should be provided to prospective entrepreneurs and women workers to upgrade their skills. It is also critical to work towards increasing remunerative employment for women in this sector,” added Yamini Mishra, speaking about the Policy Brief on MSME.
• Owing to women’s roles as productive, reproductive and community managers, they tend to use public transport differently from men. Their purpose is also different – they very often travel with children for shorter duration and over shorter distances. Unfortunately, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) does not take into consideration the implicit impact of the policy on women.

“While rural road connectivity impacts both men and women, the ways and the proportions differ. The objective thus is to inculcate gender sensitivity when making strategies, structures and policies,” said Prof Dewan, Professor, Center for Women’s Studies/Gender Economic, University of Mumbai and Member, Working Group of Feminist Economists constituted by the Planning Commission. She is also the author of the Policy Brief on PMGSY.

Women do not even benefit appropriately from health, education and nutrition schemes:

• The status of frontline service providers in flagship programmes such as the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is a concern. Around 9 lakh women have been recruited as ASHA workers under NRHM across the country. “As computed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the maximum compensation for per annum for an ASHA is Rs.17, 200 – this is only available to those who meet the highest targets. Given the nature of their job, this remains highly difficult to attain, a fact borne out by different studies,” said Mridul Eapen, Honorary Fellow, Centre for Development Studies and Member, Working Group of Feminist Economists constituted by the Planning Commission. She is the author of the Policy Brief on NRHM.
• Urban upper-caste women may have ‘caught up’ with their male counterparts as far as gross enrolments in higher education are concerned. However, there are huge gender gaps for rural women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women and Muslim women. “Many schemes that were planned in the Eleventh Five Year Plan haven't taken off. Even in cases where schemes have been introduced, utilisation remains a concern,” said Prof. Mary E. John, Centre for Women’s Development Studies, and the author of the Policy Brief on Higher Education.

The Policy Briefs recommend the following solutions:

• Close  the  gender  gap  in  education  for  women/girls  from  poorer  families  and  deprived  social communities
• Promote women’s equal access to social protection and ensure strict compliance with labour laws in both organized and un-organized sectors especially those related to women workers
• Treat ASHAs as workers to be paid on non-piece rate basis with supportive training on gender
• Special  concessions  for  extra-vulnerable groups  such  as  women  and  child-headed  households; pregnant women; elderly; disabled; MGNREGA job-seekers

The dialogue which brought together senior government officers, members of the Planning Commission, renowned feminist economists, UN agencies and civil society organisations, put the spotlight on ministries to make their policies more responsive to the needs of women.

Media enquiries:

Sabrina Sidhu, Communications and Information Officer, Tel: +91 9818717522, Email: sabrina.sidhu@unwomen.org