Empower women with technology: Ivanka

Suresh Dharur

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, November 29

Ivanka Trump, adviser to US President Donald Trump, and Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, today made a strong pitch for adoption of technology to bridge the gender gap and boost women entrepreneurship across the world.

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On Day Two of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES 2017) here, a plenary session on “innovations in workforce development and skills training” saw the participants highlighting the gender gap in workforce and calling for an ecosystem to provide equal opportunities for women to hone their entrepreneurial skills.

“Having diversity is better business. It is, therefore, a fiscal responsibility of businesses to their shareholders to balance the gender gap in the labour force,” said Ivanka, who is leading a 350-member strong American contingent at the three-day summit. Echoing similar sentiments, Cherie Blair said, “India has one of the lowest rates of female labour force participation in the world.”

“Out of every dollar earned by women, 90 cents go back into their family income… it is important to support women entrepreneurs through a number of policy initiatives including technology support, financial support and taxation policies,” Ivanka said.

Stating that technology offers tremendous opportunity to women entrepreneurs, Ivanka said the governments ensure that they get access to the technology.

Cherie Blair, who heads the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, explained how she used to balance her job as an attorney with the responsibilities of being wife of a prime minister, thanks to the technology. She said there was no need for women to feel inferior to men; in fact, they were far superior to men in many aspects, if they get access technology.

“We have to find solutions to enable women do better at what they do without giving up on their enterprises. Capacity, confidence, capital — the three things women entrepreneurs need to flourish. It's all about choice and diversity. It's about respecting each other's choices,” she said.

ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar said women in India were making it to the top in the corporate world. She pointed out that India that had produced women in sports like wrestling and gymnastics that were considered the male domains. “India has women fighter pilots. Indian Navy has started an all women expedition. Today, India has a Defence Minister who is a lady. India has senior ministers who are ladies,” she said.

“In India, 40 per cent of the banking sector is headed by women. In our bank alone, out of one lakh youth trained under skill training initiative, 55% are women. Over 60 million women in India are leading the self-help groups involved in small savings and rural entrepreneurship,” she said.

However, Kochhar regretted that not even 25% of graduate women in India participated in the workforce. “You educate a man, you educate an individual. When you educate a woman, you educate a generation. What matter most to women are 3Es — Education, Encouragement and Empowerment,” she said.