India’s economic landscape | Meghna Agarwal | Cofounder | IndiQube

“India’s economic landscape is experiencing a significant shift, with women entrepreneurs playing an increasingly pivotal role. While progress has been made, there’s still a significant journey towards true inclusivity.

With women contribution to GDP nearing 20%, it is becoming evident that women must play a key role to forge India towards a $5Tn economy. Recent developments including the Women Reservation Act that allocates 1/3rd of seats in Lok Sabha and State assemblies; pay parity for women cricketers, National Women Empowerment Mission & She Leads tech program from NASSCOM, are all reenforcing the prominent role that Woman must play in this decade.

However more needs to be done to inspire inclusion and bring an equal representation of women in the board rooms. Addressing societal norms remains a key aspect in inspiring inclusion. Woman centric initiatives must work to change deeply ingrained gender biases and patriarchal societal norms so that more women are open to explore challenging careers. Also, Policies and initiatives need to be sensitive to the intersection of gender with factors like caste, class, religion, and disability to ensure inclusivity.

Together, let us strive to rewrite the narrative of women entrepreneurship in India by giving them equitable access to funding, mentoring, skill development and networking. Let us foster a future where inclusivity empowers women to reach their full potential and contribute to the nation’s progress.