India’s women workers respond to progressive gender equality policies
Women who work in organisations with progressive gender equality policies are three times more loyal, productive and motivated than those working for organisations that do not, according to a new survey.
Deloitte’s ‘Women@Work’ survey also found that the transition to full-time work has resulted in difficult adjustments for many women professionals, with around 41% of women surveyed asking for a reduction in their hours. And 31% said moving back into full-time work has negatively impacted their mental well-being.
The Deloitte survey said on a scale of 100, women working for Gender Equality Leaders (GELs) scored their loyalty at 76, productivity at 75 and motivation and sense of belonging at 71.
These women professionals are far more likely to recommend their organisations to other women, feel far more satisfied with the mental health support extended to them, and feel more comfortable talking about their mental health in the workplace.
They are also much more optimistic about their career prospects and confident that being a woman is not a disadvantage in their organisation.
Women working for firms not considered to be GELs perform significantly worse on all these parameters, said the survey of 5,000 women across 10 countries, including India.
“When your policies targeted at growing the careers of women professionals translate into action, you will be much better placed to grow, because you’re getting the best perspectives and a driven, gender-diverse workforce,” said Saraswathi Kasturirangan, Chief Happiness Officer at Deloitte India. “Moreover, and importantly, you’re nurturing a nourishing and safe workplace.”
The survey said women in India are still shouldering the bulk of responsibility when it comes to childcare and caregiving for adults. And the instances where the partner shoulders these responsibilities or where there is an equal split are higher when the woman is the primary breadwinner.
Pension plan for unorganised sector fails to hit targets
The government’s flagship pension scheme for non-organised sector workers — called Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM) yojana — has seen just over five million subscribers since its inception. The scheme, announced in 2019, was intended to cover around 100 million people over a five-year period, raising questions on the viability and effectiveness of the scheme in providing social security to millions of unorganised sector workers.
Data collected by the government shows that the pension scheme crossed the five-million subscriber mark in April 2024. While 4.3 million people joined the scheme in FY20, merely 130,000 people were inducted in FY21, followed by 161,000 subscribers in the subsequent financial year.
Around 255,000 people had exited the scheme in FY22, although it added nearly 600,000 subscribers in FY24. This is against a target enrolment of 10 million beneficiaries in each of the financial years, starting 2020-21.
The scheme was intended for workers aged 18-40 years whose monthly income was Rs 15,000 (£143) or less and did not join schemes like Employee Provident Fund or Employee State Insurance Corporation.
Under the scheme, a worker joining the scheme at the age of 29 has to contribute Rs 100 per month till the age of 60 years, while a worker joining the scheme at 18 has to contribute Rs 55 per month. An equal matching contribution is paid by the central government.
The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India is the fund manager.
Experts attribute the slow off-take under the scheme to the high inflation and rise in cost of living.
Labour economist Santosh Mehrotra said: “Soon after the scheme was launched, millions of people lost their jobs during the Covid lockdowns, making it difficult to contribute. Thereafter, the income of people in the vast unorganised sector has not risen much and the high inflation in the past couple of years has raised the actual cost of living. This made it difficult for these workers to sustain the burden of monthly contribution under the scheme.”
