Comprehensive Development of Women is the Foundation for Empowered Communities

Nancy Pelosi, the first woman appointed as Speaker of the House of Representatives, United States of America said, “Women are leaders everywhere you look—from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household.” In this statement lies the recognition of the multiple roles where women set the course for not just their lives, but also of the lives of people around them. It is this understanding of the impact which women can make which ought to be the starting point to change the kind of prevalent mindsets that enforce severe limits to the potential of a woman. These limits, in turn, serve to confine the agency of women in decision-making across various aspects of their lives – from education and career choices to healthcare decisions. Therefore, to bring forth any meaningful change in the outcomes for women, the role of CSR is instrumental in not only presenting the right opportunities but also addressing underlying issues –health and sanitation, access to essentials, education, skill development and financial literacy – to create an enabling environment where women can recognize and leverage these opportunities.

The health of a person can have long term implications on their quality of life and their ability to exercise their potential. While the responsibility of maintaining one’s health rests with the individual, when it comes to women there are structural, socio-economic issues that leave them more prone to certain diseases and ailments. In some cases, these contrasts between gender are stark. For instance, the National Health and Family Survey 5 finds that 58.7% of non-pregnant women in rural areas (15-49 years old) are anaemic, in the same context, for men, the percentage stands at 27.4. Such statistics highlight the requirement for tracking women’s health and supporting them with relevant medical advice. Combined with the wide reach of implementing partners at the grassroots level, CSR initiatives are well-placed to include regular tracking of essential health indicators and providing nutritional information to communities can improve the health outcomes for women. Godrej & Boyce does regular healthcare tracking for women, covering over 4000 women for anaemia indicators and providing them with recourses such as easily accessible home remedies which can improve their condition. Specifically, when combined with education, livelihood,  and skill development initiatives, addressing underlying health issues enables women to increase their productivity and quality of life.

Fetching water from far off sources is one of the major care economic burdens borne by women across geographies. Whether it is queuing up for water from water tankers in urban settlements, or travelling miles to fetch water from far-off sources, a lot of women’s time and effort which could be utilized in other productive activities is wasted. In addition to collecting water, they also spend considerable time in finding spots to relieve themselves. The lack of accessible water and sanitation facilities is immeasurably detrimental to their education, careers, health, and safety. The chances of physical assault while accessing community toilets or defecating in the open, and the lack of menstrual hygiene management puts women’s safety, dignity, and health at great risk.  Thus, ensuring water supply and access to sanitation is an integral part of community development. Godrej & Boyce CSR has constructed six storage tanks, four check dams, enabling access to 21 million litres of safe drinking water for the community in the Khalapur region of Maharashtra and rejuvenated a water pond with a water carrying capacity of 1.6 million litres.

In terms of educational and career opportunities, girls and women struggle to access both. Societal expectations and stereotypes, lack of proper sanitation infrastructure, and lack of access to water all have a bearing on the education of women and girls. When it comes to embarking upon their career journeys, findings by National Statistical Office Survey suggest that only 22% of women participated in employment-related activities. While the above statistic is true for women across all categories, women from marginalized socio-economic backgrounds, particularly women from rural areas, do not have many avenues of employment open for them. Most women from rural areas can only access low-paying jobs involving manual labour and low wages – which, combined with unpaid domestic labour performed by them, traps them in poverty with little scope of upward mobility.

Further, when it comes to developing skills and choosing career paths, society deems only a few professions as ‘fit’ for women. Therefore, women are rarely seen in roles requiring technical skills, STEM fields, or as entrepreneurs. Proactive measures by CSR to include women in these spheres can align education and skill development initiatives not only with their requirements but also their potential. Additionally, corporations stand to play a major role in helping them break barriers and biases and integrate them in non-conventional roles. For example, Godrej & Boyce’s CSR initiatives include entrepreneurship development for women and the DISHA skill development program, which besides imparting other skills, trains women in driving forklifts – areas generally considered ‘as not meant for women.’

Finally, gender issues must be viewed from a holistic perspective in which aspects related to education, health & sanitation, livelihood opportunities, and financial independence must be considered. The role of women in the overall development community cannot be stressed enough.  Women are an integral part of any community; their well-being has a direct impact on the lives of other vulnerable people in the community. An empowered woman with good health and some financial independence can greatly improve similar outcomes for those around her.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Ashwini has been spearheading CSR projects for the company including the flagship pan India Employability program – DISHA and Community development projects across 9 locations. She is responsible for enabling consistent progress on sustainability targets by monitoring, collating, and reporting data as per established Sustainability reporting standards.