India, May 3 -- India's ambition to become a $30 trillion economy by 2047 is set against a huge opportunity provided by the country's demographic dividend - its large working-age population. Often overlooked in India's demographic dividend, however, is its 'gender dividend'-the economic potential of 196 million employable women currently outside the workforce. This underleveraged asset is crucial to India's growth ambitions, but the window to act is narrowing as fertility rates drop and the demographic advantage begins to fade.

While the FY23-24 female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) of 41.7% suggests improvement, as against 37.0% reported in FY22-23, much of it stems from informal and unpaid work. Systemic barriers continue to b...