The Udaiti Foundation Launches “Close the Gender Gap (CGG)” Initiative for Gender Equality
The Udaiti Foundation (TUF), a prominent advocate for women’s economic empowerment, unveiled its groundbreaking initiative, “Close the Gender Gap” (CGG) data hub during the “Women in India Inc” Summit. This initiative aims to spearhead transformative changes in gender representation and inclusive workplace policies within the formal sector.
The CGG platform represents a historic milestone, presenting longitudinal company-wise data from 2000 companies based on market capitalization. This initiative offers unparalleled insights into gender representation and policies in the formal sector. Larger organizations show higher female presence but face challenges with the glass ceiling. In contrast, smaller firms demonstrate more women in leadership roles. The platform highlights the need for greater commitments to gender inclusion in leadership positions. Despite challenges, there is optimism as the formal sector has experienced a commendable 3% increase in women’s representation over the last 3 years, with the Healthcare and Services sector leading with an outstanding 5% rise.
High-level stakeholders from the corporate sector attended the event, engaging in critical discussions on hiring, retention, advancement, and leadership of women in corporate India. Key delegates included Naina Lal Kidwai, Former Group Head HSBC India & Former President, FICCI; Jasjit Kang, SVP & Business Head, Digital Operations & Platforms, Wipro; Manjaree Chowdhary, Senior Executive Director and General Counsel, Maruti Suzuki India; Pankaj Rai, Group Chief Data Analytics Officer, Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt Ltd; Sabeena Shaji, Vice President, Human Resources, Federal Bank; Shailja Mehta, Director, Dasra; and Shalini Puchalapalli, Country Head and Director, Google Customer Solutions at Google, among others.
Padma Shri Naina Lal Kidwai emphasized the need for sharp baseline data and top leadership accountability for meaningful outcomes and lasting change. Pooja Goyal, CEO of The Udaiti Foundation, highlighted CGG’s transformative nature, inviting companies, boards, experts, policymakers, and employees to leverage the data hub to catalyze commitments and drive meaningful action for gender parity at work.
Accessible through a user-friendly web interface, CGG provides data-driven insights and practical resources to cultivate a more inclusive workplace environment. It empowers users to explore and interact with the data, enabling the generation of sector-wise, year-wise, and comparative reports.
In his summit opening address, Ashish Dhawan, Advisor, The Udaiti Foundation, emphasized that women’s economic empowerment is a key driver for national economic growth. He highlighted the need for data-backed evidence to improve the share of quality jobs, advance women’s enterprise, and build gender infrastructure.
Amid challenges of stagnant women representation and limited reporting, CGG aligns with broader industry movements, offering comprehensive evidence to understand gaps, cross-learn, and develop policies based on actual data. CGG urges stakeholders to champion diversity, fostering tangible change with practical resources.
