Must bring in gender parity in 15 years: India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant to WION

India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said thatgender equality between women and men must be brought in 15 years."A study by the World Economic Forum says that it would take 132 years to bring in gender equality between women and men. But we can't wait for 132 years, it has to be done in 15 years and radical changes are required for the same," Kant told WION.

He was delivering a special address at the Women20 Summit, an official engagement group of the G20 summit. The W20 came into being owing to years of advocacy by women's rights organisations and their demands for a forum to voice women's issues, opinions, and empowerment. The ongoing edition of the W20 is being held at the UNESCO World Heritage Town Mamallapuram, near Chennai.

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Pointing out the means to achieve equality between women and men, he said that huge empowering opportunities would be required in the fields of education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. He said that this would create a world where women can thrive and contribute to their fullest.

"Of the millions houses built by the Indian Government, more than 80 per cent are built in the name of women and some are jointly owned by their spouses, 100mn LPG connections were provided, thus making clean cooking fuel accessible to the underprivileged, 100mn toilets have been constructed, 43 per cent of those pursuing Science Technology Engineering Arts &Math (STEAM) Courses are women in India," he said, highlighting some of the G20 host nation's contributions in empowering women.

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Emphasising the importance of women leaders, he said "Unless you put women in positions of power, the goal of achieving gender equality will take another 132yrs" (alluding to the WEF study).

There is a need to do a pole-vaulting, there is a need for a change of mind and men must realise that women must lead the world, he added.

Addressing the gathering of women delegates and officials, Smriti Irani, India's Union Minister for Women and Child Development quoted a 2018 UN report and said that 80 per cent of those displaced due to climate change were women. Climate change exposes women and children to health risks and leads to disease or limited access to services.

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She added that the care economy services segment will create a lot of opportunities for women and estimated it as 300 million jobs.

The care economy involves activities that people perform daily, often in homes, including chores or taking care of other persons, such as infants or the elderly. These chores, such as cleaning up a house or shopping for groceries, are typically not paid, and even fewer are considered productive.

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