Let’s celebrate women and their wins
International Women’s Day
An occasion that celebrates women, everything they are, all they stand for and all they have done. But can the story of women be told without telling of their struggles?
Hans Rosling in his book Factfulness, says,
“…because of our opinions and misconceptions,
we are wrong about the world around us…
things are better than we think.”
Nothing could be far from the truth when we talk about women. On one hand, we see the challenges a woman faces, be it work, school or even at home. They keep her from being free, an individual with her own thoughts and desires.
On the other hand, we see transformation.
The last century has seen women speak up for themselves. And the world, stand up and pay attention. And that itself is worth celebrating.
This International Women’s Day, we bring you a shot of positivity – facts about the steady growth of women across the world.
Women are breaking stereotypes. At Brandcare, we have taken a pledge to #breakthebias.
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#breakthebias is all about overcoming misconceptions about women and recognising their growth in varied sectors. It is a step to erase older opinions and prejudices and walk to a better, unbiased tomorrow.
Now let’s move ahead with facts and assess how your answers measured up.
Education – a lesson learned
Sliced bread might a great idea. But educating girls and enabling access to education was an idea that changed the world. We all know the benefits of that – educated women means better decisions, more minds to solve problems, fewer, healthier and better-educated children. All in all, a virtuous cycle of change.
Since 1970, the trend of prioritizing boys’ education over that of girls has steadily declined. Today, they are neck and neck, with 90% girls attending primary school; the boys are just 2% ahead.
A pan-India survey revealed –
- 862.8 thousand female students awarded postgraduate degrees in 2019
- Number of female graduates considerably higher than male counterparts
Equal pay – a befitting compensation
71 percent of Indian respondents, in 2020, thought it likely that women will be paid the same as men for the same work.
Interestingly, Philippines, India and Malaysia, societies often considered male-dominated, were most confident about equal pay for women that year.
Women in business – a case to study
Entrepreneurship is no longer a man’s game. Women are making their mark, and how!
In 2021, women owned a little over 20% of all micro, small and medium business across the country. What’s more, they had the highest share of micro businesses within business sizes, with more rural enterprises compared to urban ones.
Women are not just running successful businesses, but inspiring others, too. Here are some stellar entrepreneurs we love to look up to –
Leading women entrepreneurs listed as per total funding:
- Divya Gokulnath – co-founder, BYJU’S
- Radhika Ghai Aggarwal – co-founder, Shopclues, an e-commerce marketplace
- Falguni Nayar – founder, Nykaa, a beauty-retailer
Building the Nation – from the inside
Educated, determined, relentless. Women are not only making their homes and workplaces better. They are helping build a better nation.
About 78 women were elected to the 17th Lok Sabha in 2019, making it the highest number of female parliamentarians in 2019. It is a significant upswing compared to recent years, and a sign of greater things to come.
In conclusion
There you have it – the truth in black and white. The coming together of factual knowledge to demonstrate that women are not behind in making a real difference, and are in fact leading from the front. The challenges they’ve faced have only made them stronger, and they are hungry for more.
We hope the survey and the facts it brought to light have shown you a different picture – one of women’s strengths and the possibilities that lie ahead.
That’s how we #breakthebias and walk into a new era of development and growth, as a nation and as a society.
Happy International Women’s Day!