Kerala’s new gender policy calls for greater female inclusivity

Kerala, India, revealed its new gender policy on Thursday, which marks a shift in focus to achieving greater equality and more equal rights between genders.

The new Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy now acknowledges gender issues for men which must also be addressed in order to achieve equality more quickly.

High-priority focus areas include achieving greater economic empowerment of women, reducing gender-based violence, and creating more gender-responsive infrastructures in the labor market. Policymakers and intervention departments will be working with both men and women in order to achieve these goals.

The policy also introduces an accountability framework to more effectively monitor gender developments in the state.

Sher Verick writes about how to boost female labor force participation in developing countries. He notes that while the number of female workers tends to increase with economic development, this relationship is not always straightforward. Verick finds that effective policies need to focus on the quality of female employment, and that access to education is crucial.

Read more here.

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Female labor force participation in developing countries, by Sher Verick