Green Jobs and the Issue of Gender Disparity

Context

The global shift towards low-carbon development presents a gender disparity challenge, with men more likely to transition to green jobs faster than women.

Gender Disparities in Green Jobs in India

• Occupational Concentration

• • • Traditional gender norms have caused the concentration of women in sectors along with clothing, fabric, and food, whilst guys dominate industries like infrastructure, shipping, and production.
    • Green jobs, spanning production, construction, renewable energy, and automobiles, have historically seen decreased representation of women, reflecting persistent occupational divides.

• Underrepresentation in Renewable Energy Sector

• • • Despite India’s commendable 250% increase in renewable energy capacity from 2015 to 2021, women remain vastly underrepresented in sectors just like the solar rooftop enterprise, comprising the most effective 11% of the workforce.
    • This underlines the challenge of integrating women into the swiftly growing inexperienced economy, where stereotypes and social norms nonetheless dictate occupational selections.

• Training Disparities

• • • The 2023 examination by the Skill Council for Green Jobs shows that 85% of the education for green skills is imparted to guys, while over 90% of women perceive social norms as limiting their participation in such schooling.
    • This disparity in education possibilities perpetuates the underrepresentation of women in rising green sectors.

• STEM Graduates and Sectoral Representation

• • • While 42.7% of STEM graduates in India are women, they constitute only 30.8% in key sectors for the inexperienced transition, along with engineering, production, and production.
    • This discrepancy indicates that despite the growing number of women pursuing STEM schooling, they face limitations to entering fields essential for the country’s sustainable development.
    • Beliefs that women are fallacious for positive technical roles, safety concerns, and decrease illustration in STEM subjects give a boost to stereotypes, hindering women’s access to possibilities in sectors pivotal for an extremely low-carbon future.

• Disparities in Leadership Positions

• • A Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) 2019 record highlights that men include 85% of the workforce in sectors consisting of infrastructure, transport, creation, and manufacturing.
  • The underrepresentation of women in management positions similarly reinforces gender disparities, as choice-making strategies may additionally lack a gender-inclusive attitude.

The Global Context of Gender Disparities in Green Jobs

• Globally, women are being left behind in the race to reap climate goals and sustainability desires.
• This is mainly obtrusive in the transition to a low-carbon economic system, where new possibilities are created alongside process displacement and transformation.
• Recently in an important stride towards justice and inclusivity in transition making plans, COP 28’s high-level talk launched ‘Gender-Responsive Just Transitions and Climate Action Partnership’ with a focus on improved data, centered finance, and skill development.

Benefits of Women’s Participation in Green Jobs

• Will Address Gender Biases inside the Labour Market

• • • Increased illustration of women in inexperienced jobs serves as a powerful antidote to deeply ingrained gender biases in the labour market.
    • By breaking into historically male-dominated sectors together with manufacturing, creation, and renewable energy, women can assign preconceived notions and reshape societal perceptions of gender roles.

• Enhanced Economic Opportunities

• • • Women’s accelerated representation in inexperienced jobs interprets into increased financial opportunities for them.
    • Engaging in sectors like renewable energy and power efficiency permits women to get entry to high-growth industries, fostering monetary boom and private monetary balance.
    • Beyond mere economic blessings, women’s participation in inexperienced jobs creates possibilities for their advancement in technical and social spheres.
    • Exposure to revolutionary technology, sustainable practices, and networking within the inexperienced zone empowers women with diverse talents, fostering personal and professional growth.

• Empower Women’s Agency

• • • The shift towards green jobs empowers women by supplying them agency over their monetary destinies.
    • Engaging in roles that contribute to environmental renovation or recovery aligns with a broader experience of cause, permitting women to feel extra related to their paintings and its impact on society.

• Contributing to Long-Term Gender Empowerment

• • • Participation in green jobs goes past instantaneous financial gains, contributing to the lengthy-time period empowerment of women.
    • By breaking into sectors with historical gender imbalances, women pave the way for future generations, encouraging younger women to aspire to careers in technological scientific, era, engineering, and arithmetic (STEM) fields.

• Promoting Environmental Stewardship

• • Women’s participation in inexperienced jobs aligns with their historically identified function as stewards of the environment.
  • With a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems, women can deliver specific insights to the improvement and implementation of sustainable practices in green industries.

Way Forward

• Address the Gaps in Data

• • • There is restrained information to recognize the landscape of women’s paintings for green jobs in India.
    • Mapping rising areas for inexperienced increase and amassing intercourse-disaggregated records on green jobs could be the starting point to enhance women’s participation.
    • There is need to construct evidence on the present and destiny effect of low-carbon transitions on women employees and entrepreneurs even as considering the hidden and invisible roles performed by using women throughout different sectors and geographies.
    • This will be done with the aid of carrying out gender analysis, amassing gender records on inexperienced jobs through periodic labour force surveys and mobilising additional resources to emphasize and inspire women’s position in the inexperienced transition.

• Support Women Entrepreneurs

• • • Gender-centered monetary regulations and products catering to the requirements of women entrepreneurs can spur their ability to enter the inexperienced transition marketplace.
    • Collateral-loose lending, financial literacy schooling and constructing supportive networks are vital steps to release their capacity.
    • Suitable equipment should be developed to assess creditworthiness, disburse loans, and decrease operational costs for women-owned businesses.

• A Gender-Just Transition

• • A holistic method for a gender-just transition encompasses employment, social safety, decreased care work burden, and ability development.
  • Collaboration across authorities, personal sectors, and stakeholders is important to leverage innovation, technology, and finance for women marketers and employees.
  • Businesses should prioritise gender justice to mitigate boundaries and foster equitable job possibilities for a simple transition.

Conclusion

• As India navigates its green transition, prioritising women’s empowerment and gender equity in climate actions is important for unlocking the co-advantages of a low-carbon and environmentally sustainable economy.
• Bridging the gender gap in inexperienced jobs calls for concerted efforts to cope with social norms, gather gender-disaggregated facts, and put in force inclusive rules.
• This isn’t always the most effective economic imperative however it is a crucial step in the direction of building a socially equitable and inclusive future for all.

Source: The Hindu

UPSC Mains Practice Questions 

Q.What are the main factors responsible for gender inequality in India? Discuss the contribution of Savitribai Phule in this regard. (2020)

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