The transition to low-carbon development has the potential to add about 35 million green
jobs in India by 2047. The International Labour Organization defined green jobs as “decent
jobs that contribute to preservation or restoration of the environment”. Many of these spans
across sectors saw a lower representation of women.
Women’s Participation in Jobs
Some of the reports which shows the participation of women’s in specific sectors:
1. India increased its renewable capacity by 250% between 2015 to 2021, Women
comprised merely 11% of workers in the solar rooftop sector.
2. The Annual Survey of Industries 2019-20 shows that women workers are mostly
concentrated in industries such as apparel, textile, leather, food and tobacco.
3. A Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) 2019 report shows that men comprise 85%of
the workforce in sectors such as infrastructure, transport, construction, and
manufacturing.
4. A study in 2023 by the Skill Council for Green jobs indicated that 85% of the training
for green skills was imparted to men while over 90% of women believe that social
Norms limited their participation in training for green jobs.
Benefits of Women’s Representation in Green Jobs
There are mainly a short term and a long term benefit of women’s participation which are:
In the short run,it can address the gender biases in the Indian Labour market and improve
women’s labour force participation rates.
In the long run, this can contribute to improving women’s agency and their empowerment by
creating economic, technical, and social opportunities.
Address The Gaps in Data
Following measure can be used to address the gap in data:
1. Mapping emerging areas for green growth and collecting Sex- disaggregated data on
green jobs.
2. Need to build evidence on the present and future impact of low- carbon transitions on
women workers and entrepreneurs.
3. Conducting gender Analysis, collecting gender statistics on green jobs through
Periodic Labour Force Surveys.
Supporting Women Entrepreneurs
Gender focused financial policies and products catering to the requirements of women
Entrepreneurs can spur their ability to enter the green transition market. Collateral free
lending, financial literacy training and building supportive networks are crucial steps to
unlock their potential. Suitable tools must be developed to assess creditworthiness,
disburse loans, and reduce operational costs for women-owned businesses .
Recently, in a critical stride towards justice and inclusivity in transition planning, COP 28 high
level dialogue launched ‘Gender- Responsive Just Transitions and Climate Action
Partnership’ with a focus on improved data, targeted finance, and skill development.
