The effort to mainstream gender in decision-making, planning, advising, implementing, and managing environment and developmental activities dates back to the Rio Declaration in 1992. Principle 20 of the 1992 Rio Declaration states that “women have a vital role in environmental management and development and their full participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development”. The need for education and training of women, involvement of women in power and decision-making, and including women in economic activities, among others, were further reinforced during the fourth World Conference on Women entitled ‘Action for Equality, Development and Peace’ held in 1995 in Beijing (United Nations, 1995). Women empowerment and gender equality were the goals in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and they also find a significant place in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Notwithstanding the efforts, there are crucial challenges in translating rhetoric into reality. The Global Gender Gap Report brought out in 2017 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) places India at the 108th position in the overall Global Gender Gap Index, with a poor 139th position in economic participation and opportunity, 112th position in educational attainment, and 141st position in health and survival out of 144 countries (WEF, 2017). According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data published by the NSSO in 2017–18, female labour force participation rate (LFPR) fell to a historic low of 23.3% from 31.2% in 2011–12 (MoSPI, 2019), indicating that three out of four women in India over the age of 15 are unemployed or not seeking work. Policies, norms, and institutions, which are needed to drive gender mainstreaming in workforce, are mostly gender blind, resulting in inequity in representation and absence of inclusiveness in the development processes.
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Air Pollution In India: Major Issues And Challenges
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RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
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