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Editor’s Note

#BalanceforBetter: Have we made

a difference in gender balance?

The Theme for This year’s In- 7 per cent of the world’s leaders and only 24 per cent of
ternational Women’s Day 2019 was lawmakers.
#BalanceforBetter to drive gender According to the latest statistics of the United Na-
balance across the world. At a time tions, the per centage of female elected heads of state
when political parties are raising dropped from 7.2 per cent to 6.6 from 2017 to 2018. The
a cacophony of noises ahead of per centage of female heads of government dropped
general election in India, Tehelka from 5.7 per cent to 5.2 in the same period. Time has
decided to do a cover story “Perils of come for women to become change-makers. The re-
being a single woman in India” to highlight alization that sustainable development is not possible
that women have come a long way but still a lot needs without equality between men and women, calls for
to be done for women empowerment. Recently when a gender justice and equality. Gender equality is the fifth
million women from various walks of life participated Sustainable Development Goal of the UN. She needs to
in 620-km-long shoulder-to-shoulder parade called be given equal opportunities for leadership at all levels
Women’s Wall in Kerala for gender equality and renais- of decision-making as well as equal rights to economic
sance values, they scripted a history for the India. resources, inheritance, access to ownership and control
Sadly, India continues at poor third rank in business over land, enabling technology to promote empower-
leadership roles held by women as per the recent find- ment of women and equality based on respect and
ings of the global survey by Grant Thornton-Women in recognition of their role in society. Their contribution
Business: New Perspectives. Women in India hold only is indispensable to a sustainable society and we can-
17 per cent of senior roles, while 41 per cent of the In- not imagine sustainable development without the par-
dian businesses surveyed have no women in leadership ticipation of women. Parents need to educate sons and
roles. The survey also reveals that women in India held daughters so that they respect each other without using
only 7 per cent of the senior management roles. The expressions such as “this is a woman’s work” by deni-
low representation of women in senior management grating certain activities. What noted playwright Wil-
roles in India indicates a need to fix the leaking pipeline liam Shakespeare wrote in the sixteenth century that
and changing the mindset of all stakeholders — busi- “frailty thy name is women” is no more relevant today
ness, community, and government. Similarly, when it as women don’t need men to conquer the world.
comes to political power, women account for less than
(chARAnjIt AhujA)

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Volume 16, Issue no. 6, 16-31 march 2019, RELEASEd on 16 march, numbER oF pAgES IncLudIng covER 68
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