New Delhi, March 6 -- As International Women's Day 2025 approaches, the theme-"For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment"-reminds us that progress cannot be piecemeal.

A few years ago, during a field visit, I met two women whose stories stayed with me. Lakshmi, an entrepreneur, had the skill and ambition to expand her small lacquer bangle business, a craft passed down by her father. But every bank she approached demanded collateral she didn't have.

In another town, I met Bushra, a promising young engineer with a job offer that could change her life-but she hesitated to accept it. The long commute through unsafe streets and the unease in her family led to the unspoken question: Was the opportunity worth the risk?

Both women...