CSR: Project Nari Shakti Bridging the Gender Gap in Gig Economy

The patriarchal society of India has led a large chunk of women in the country to become financially dependent on their partners or other male family members. Considering the fact that women bear the responsibility of child rearing and caring, they have often lacked opportunities for financial independence and have been left to care for the unpaid household work in its stead. The advent of gig economy has provided women with several opportunities to be able to gain the financial independence at their own terms.

What is Gig Economy?

Artists often refer to performing at a place as taking on a “gig.” The gig economy works in a similar way in the sense that instead of a traditional, in-office, full-time job with a single company, gig workers work as short-term, temporary, or independent contractors for one or a variety of employers (though they are not employers in the traditional sense). Though the term “gig economy” is relatively new, these non-traditional work arrangements have been around a long time.

Women in the Gig Economy

Women have been active participants in the gig economy, by taking up professions of supplying home-made snacks or handicrafts, beauty parlor services, tiffin services, among others. With more women receiving education, they have taken up several projects in the field of IT, teaching, consultation, etc. The nature of the economic model in itself provides tremendous benefits to women who can carryout their personal responsibilities while meeting their professional needs. However, despite the high potential, there is a significant gender gap in the economic model with the males taking up most of the available opportunities. In order to bridge this gap, India Inc has been working by empowering women through their CSR initiatives. Let us look at one such initiative.

Project Nari Shakti by Amway India

As part of its 10-year growth vision, Amway aims to continue to empower women and offer them the opportunity to own and operate their own business while living their passions for fitness, healthy living, cooking, or beauty.  The Nari Shakti project is aimed at bringing Amway’s existing group of women direct sellers to the forefront by enhancing their existing skills to run their independent businesses successfully.

Amway has planned various sessions with these select set of women entrepreneurs aimed at enhancing their skill sets, knowledge about best business practices, product training and usage of the various business tools and social commerce. These women will be mentored by key senior women entrepreneurs and who will guide them throughout their journey with Amway India. The project also lays emphasis on the importance of social selling in the current environment and highlights the accelerated adoption of digital medium to sustain businesses and moving beyond the traditional ways of direct selling.

After its successful implementation in the east India in 2020, the company has announced the launch of the project in the West region recently.

Commenting on this initiative, Mr. Anshu Budhraja, CEO, Amway India, said, “The current health crisis has increased the uptake of flexible roles in the gig economy ecosystem due to the looming uncertainty on the job front. Women play a critical role in strengthening the current socio-economic landscape of India and Amway has been working towards the upliftment of women and supporting them by being an equal opportunity player for long. We believe that women entrepreneurs are key to our future in India and we are committed to fostering an environment of growth and offer opportunities for women to realize their full potential. The fact that almost 60% of our direct sellers are women, is a testimony to our commitment. I am very thrilled to launch the Nari Shakti project which is all set to unleash the spirit of entrepreneurship among many more women. To kickstart the project, we have identified select women entrepreneurs from West of India based on certain parameters and will aim to further expand our reach in the coming months”.

At the launch, Chandra Bhushan Chakraborty, Senior VP-East & West, Amway India, said, “At Amway, we remain committed to helping our direct sellers succeed and grow their business through continuous upskilling initiatives and world-class quality products. To start the project, we have planned various sessions with these select set of women entrepreneurs aimed at enhancing their skill sets, knowledge about best business practices, product trainings and usage of the various business tools and social commerce.  These women will be mentored by key senior women entrepreneurs and who will guide them throughout their journey with Amway India. The project also lays emphasis on the importance of social selling in the current environment and highlights the accelerated adoption of digital medium to sustain businesses and moving beyond the traditional ways of direct selling”