India has witnessed a significant rise in Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) over the past several years, reflecting notable changes in women’s engagement with the labour market. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the FLFPR increased from 23.3% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24, representing one of the fastest increases among developing…
Eighty-one-year-old Felisa Cuc walks the path to her home in rural Sepur Zarco, Guatemala, trying to outrun the heat. Thousands of kilometres away, in a district in Rajasthan, another woman leaves before sunrise to fetch water, hoping to finish the walk before the day’s heat becomes unbearable. Neither woman set the thermostat on the planet….
A woman fleeing violence arrives at a shelter to find the door locked and the lights off. A pregnant woman walks for hours because the nearest clinic has closed. A mother is turned away from a food line. These are not hypothetical scenes from a distant war. According to Beyond the Breaking Point, the UN…
The UN Children’s Fund has adopted a new four-year Gender Equality Action Plan, 2026-2029. The Executive Board of the UN Children’s Fund has approved UNICEF’s fourth four-year Gender Equality Action Plan, 2026-2029, which complements the 2026-2029 UNICEF Integrated Budget of $26 billion and UNICEF’s Global Strategy 2026-2029. The global plan also focuses on the world’s…
In the story of India’s rise, one form of labour remains largely unseen: unpaid care work. As Indian women advance in education, careers, and public life, they continue to be assigned primary responsibility for day-to-day cooking, cleaning, the care of the elderly, the young, and the disabled, and for household coordination. That concealed labour is…
The problem of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) does not only exist in terms of newspapers and crimes. Still, it is an ever-existing societal problem affecting countless women and girls in India, daily in different environments, from the house to school, workplace, public transport, and even online space. Although India has made considerable efforts in terms of…
The Career Break That Often Becomes Permanent In March 2026, the Periodic Labour Force Survey’s annual report recorded the Worker Population Ratio for Indian women aged 15 and above at 38.8 per cent. For men, the same figure was 76.6 per cent. Among women not in the labour force, 44.4 per cent cited child care…
CROSSING THE ANTIM PAG There is a moment at the National Defence Academy that every cadet remembers for life. It is called the Antim Pag (the last step). You walk across the Khetarpal Parade Ground, past the Quarterdeck, and out of the academy as a commissioned officer. In June 2026, for the first time in…
Menopause is one of the most ignored health issues for women nowadays. Despite millions going through uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, memory problems, and achy joints, lots struggle to get the right help. Because of stigma, lack of awareness, and healthcare shortcomings, tons of women face this big life change solo. Sunita Sharma,…
The pledge directs $40 million to maternal mental health in Africa and $10 million to close the menopause care gap across the United States. Philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced Thursday a $215 million commitment to women’s health through her organisation Pivotal, covering contraceptive access, maternal care, and a notable new push into menopause treatment in…
