India stands at a pivotal moment in its social and economic journey. With a young and growing workforce, the country is potentially a global talent powerhouse. Each year, nearly 12 million youth enter the workforce – with great hope and aspiration. Yet, this potential will remain unfulfilled, if we continue to overlook half of our talented population — women.
There are some encouraging signs. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023–24 reports a rise in the female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) to 41.7%, up from 37% the previous year. Whilst this upward trend signals growing inclusion, it also highlights the distance we must travel to achieve true gender parity and social equity.
Despite these gains, India continues to grapple with deep-rooted structural, cultural and societal barriers. The World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2024 ranks India 127th out of 146 countries in economic participation and opportunity for women—a reminder that progress is not just about GDP numbers. True development must address the economic, social and cultural factors that hold women back. Additionally, millions of women remain locked out of access to skilling opportunities and formal employment.
This is not merely social inequity—it is a missed economic opportunity of transformative scale.
India has made commendable strides in female education. School and college enrolment rates and academic performance among girls have surged, especially in the last decade. Yet, this progress has not translated into meaningful workforce participation, for a variety of factors – from unequal opportunities to degrees without employability skills. Add to that inadequate digital literacy, communication, problem-solving, and industry-specific expertise. This, however, is a problem, not unique to women, but has to do with our education system that prioritises degrees over skills.
A 2022 report by Unicef and YuWaah (Generation Unlimited in India) revealed that over 50% of Indian youth lack foundational employment-ready skills. The gap is even more pronounced among young women in rural and underserved areas where access to training, mobility, digital tools, and mentorship is limited. Traditional skilling programmes, often designed with a “one-size-fits-all” approach, fail to address the lived realities of women.
These challenges are further compounded by deep-rooted social norms. From caregiving responsibilities and mobility constraints to digital exclusion and restrictive socio-cultural norms, the obstacles that women face are both visible and invisible.
As AI and automation reshape industries, the risk of further exclusion looms large. Unless equity-focused skilling interventions, access to jobs and retention programmes are intentionally designed, women could once again be left behind in the emerging digital economy.
Investing in women’s skilling isn’t just a development strategy—it’s one of the most powerful catalysts for inclusive economic transformation. When women enter the workforce, they don’t just earn; they uplift.
Studies show that working women reinvest significantly in their families, especially in their children’s health and education, creating multiplier effects that strengthen entire communities. They become role models, especially where aspiration itself is a scarce resource.
The economic case is equally compelling. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, closing the gender gap in work, even partially, could help an additional 55 million women to enter the workforce by 2030.
To truly unlock India’s demographic dividend, we need to shift to intentionally designed skilling programmes that are industry-aligned and locally rooted - creating viable pathways to dignity and income. It is crucial to provide women with sector-specific skill training and placement support aligned with current and future market demands. Beyond enhancing employability, such targeted skilling can enable long-term careers, allowing women to contribute meaningfully to both household and national economic growth.
For a skilling agenda to be truly future-ready, it must be grounded in equity and reflect the lived realities of underserved women and persons with disabilities, who continue to face multiple barriers to economic participation. Economic growth without social inclusion is not sustainable and definitely not equitable.
In India, social norms, cultural barriers, digital exclusion, and lack of access to safe and accessible training spaces hinder women’s ability to develop market-relevant skills. Many women leave the workforce due to societal expectations, arising from domestic work, caregiving responsibilities, marital obligations, and concerns around personal safety. A skilling model that does not take into account these multiple barriers risks reinforcing exclusion rather than resolving it. So, skilling is not just about employment, it’s about reclaiming agency and equity.
India’s rich demographic dividend can only be unlocked through more responsive, inclusive, and context-aware programmes. Across sectors, there is growing recognition that investing in inclusive skilling has a multiplier effect on communities and the economy. This is evident in the work of Cognizant Foundation and several other institutions working in the domain.
Since its inception in 2005, the Foundation has impacted millions across India by working on the ground to enable underserved women and youth to build meaningful, market-relevant careers, through various initiatives. Under the Tech4All initiative, for example, the Foundation has established the Centre of Excellence for Women Empowerment (CWE) across 50 colleges in partnership with the ICT Academy. The Academy has enabled 5000 young women pursuing engineering graduate studies to learn and get skilled in Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, Cloud, Networking, CRM, and soft skills, enabling them to pursue their childhood dreams of becoming an engineer and working with confidence.
Across the country, organisations working in this space are demonstrating how inclusive, context-aware skilling can enable economic mobility, dignity, and resilience, particularly for women. These stories remind us that when skilling systems truly work for women, they begin to work better for everyone.
Skilling women is not an act of inclusion, but rather a strategy for national transformation. It is how we convert education into employability, and potential into real economic and social progress.
The time for incremental change is behind us. If India is to be truly future-ready and resilient, we must invest in the missing half of our workforce, not as a corrective gesture, but as a catalyst for fairness, equity and sustainable growth. This calls for more than just imparting skills; it requires building systems that empower every woman to imagine, prepare for, and shape her economic destiny.
Future-proofing our skilling agenda demands a gender lens at its core. More than a moral imperative, equipping women with market-relevant skills is an economic necessity. The onus is on industry leaders, educators, policymakers, families and communities to create ecosystems that enable participation, engagement and contribution of women.
There is no better time than now to recognise fairness and equity as foundational to a society that values dignity and respect.
This article is authored by Vinita Bali, chairperson, Cognizant Foundation.