Women-led development (WLD) focuses on empowering women to take the leadership, set agenda for development, drive innovation, and shape policies from the forefront.

Significance of WLD

• Inclusive Governance: It channelizes potential of women for actively shaping and driving economic, social, and political progress at all levels of governance.
• Gender Equality: Tackles generational inequality (Global Gender Gap Index 2024: India ranked 129^th out of 146 countries) by breaking gender stereotypes and rejecting norms that sustain gender disparity.
• Economic Development: Underscores women role to achieve Government of India’s vision of ‘Developed India’ by 2047. 
  • As per National Family Health Survey study, advancing gender equality could potentially lead to 30% increase in India’s GDP.
• Entrepreneurship Development: Promotion of entrepreneurship among women including Tribals, Scheduled castes etc. 

Challenges associated with WLD

• Climate change: Affects WLD by compromising work participation, health, food security, family etc.
• Gender digital divide: Only 15% of women in India have access to internet (Mobile Gender Gap 2021 Report).
• Education: Average female literacy rate throughout world is 79.9%, while India lags behind at 62.3% 
• Others: Low Female Labour Force Participation Rate, mental health, reproductive health, domestic violence etc.