NEW DELHI: To enable a gender-responsive economic recovery, the government can consider incentivising the private sector for undertaking gender-equitable measures at workplaces, in Budget 2022, according to a research paper by the Quantum Hub (TQH) and the Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE) at LEAD.
Corporations can be offered tax holidays or other incentives if they have undertaken measures such as the provision of onsite childcare, flexible work schedules, etc, says the report. In the pandemic year of 2020, it was observed that women were more likely to lose jobs and not return to work.
Research centre IWWAGE suggests the government should look at women-specific centres for upskilling and reskilling. “The role of these centres would be to provide skills relevant to the market,” said the report, adding investments should be made towards providing business skills, digital skills, and soft skills to women.
The report also suggests an increase in the allocations for the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) with specific incentives for employers to take on female apprentices will raise their probability of staying on in the job.
The central and/or state governments could consider introducing urban employment schemes, with one-third or half the jobs reserved for women, the report suggests. Such schemes currently exist in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Jharkhand, Kerala, West Bengal, and Himachal Pradesh.
As per a 2019 report by Google and Bain & Company, India has 13.5-15.7 million women-owned enterprises, which were more vulnerable to the covid shocks than those led by men.