Skilled Careers

India’s Economy Has a Missing Engine: Women Especially women from lower-income backgrounds. A McKinsey study estimated that India could add $770 billion to GDP by 2025 by simply advancing gender parity in work. But instead, female labor force participation fell from 32% (2005) to ~20% (2020). https://lnkd.in/dvys4E6f Despite progress in some areas, female labor force participation in India is among the lowest in the world, even lower than some Sub-Saharan African countries. Why Are So Many Poor Women Underemployed or Not Properly Utilized? 1. Social and Cultural Barriers • Deep-rooted patriarchy restricts women’s mobility, especially in rural or conservative areas. • Girls are often seen as temporary earners, their “real role” is expected to be at home. 2. Safety and Mobility • Public transport is unsafe or unavailable, making it harder for women to travel to work. • Fear of harassment, especially in cities or during night shifts, keeps families from letting women work. 3. Unpaid Labor at Home • Women spend hours daily doing unpaid work: cooking, cleaning, child care, elder care. • This invisible labor is neither recognized nor redistributed. • Poor women, in particular, bear the double burden of poverty and gendered expectation. 4. Lack of Suitable Jobs - There is no structured pathway from informal to formal employment. 5. Policy & Structural Failure • Skill development programs often don’t reach women or are too generic and disconnected from market realities. • No large-scale, nationwide push for rural women entrepreneurship, decentralized production, or employment guarantees for women. • Schemes exist, but access is broken due to middlemen, corruption, or lack of information. Poor women: • Walk miles for water • Raise children with limited resources • Cook without clean fuel • Manage micro-budgets like CFOs of households Yet the system never sees them as ‘employable’ or ‘productive’. What Can Change This? 1. Localized employment: Bring dignified work to villages (e.g., food processing, crafts, decentralised manufacturing). 2. Safe, affordable transport: So women can commute without fear. 3. Women-led cooperatives and micro-enterprises: Let women own their work, not just participate. 4. Recognition of unpaid work: Design policies around time poverty, not just joblessness. 5. Mindset shift: From “allowing” women to work to realizing they hold the key to national growth. We talk of “demographic dividend” but leave half the population on the sidelines. A country that sidelines its women isn’t just unjust, it is chronically underperforming.

Why it’s time to use reskilling to unlock women’s STEM potential: "Women make up just 28% of the global STEM workforce and only 22% of artificial intelligence (AI) professionals. Left unaddressed, this deficit will restrict innovation and economic growth during the reskilling revolution. Fostering collaboration, cultivating mentorship and delivering tailored solutions to country-specific challenges will close the STEM gender gap. Reskilling provides an opportunity to rethink how we are planning for the future of work. We must reconsider not only how we work, but who works. If the Fourth Industrial Revolution is rewriting the rules of work, now is the time to rewrite the rules of opportunity. Enrolment among women in STEM-related university programs has stagnated over the past decade, with the causes of this disparity differing across industries and regions. If left unaddressed, however, it will compound reskilling challenges that are already expected to cost G20 countries more than $11 trillion over the coming decade. Multiple inspiring stories have shown how these barriers can be broken. Ritu Karidhal, one of the 'rocket women' of the Indian Space Research Organization has inspired a rise in the number of women pursuing STEM fields in India. And she is not alone: From Esraa Tarawneh’s work on mitigating flash floods that's helped multiple communities tackle one of our century’s largest environmental threats, to Ayanna Howard’s assistive technologies that are revolutionizing accessibility for children with disabilities, women are pioneering ground-breaking innovations. Gender-diverse teams are also more profitable and productive. Companies in which female representation exceeds 30% are significantly more likely to financially outperform those with less. Gender diverse R&D teams are also more likely to introduce new innovations into the market over a two-year period. The case for closing the gender divide in STEM is clear, but it will persist without deliberate interventions. Women face a variety of barriers to accessing STEM fields and solutions must reflect this reality. In some regions, there will be a need to break stereotypes that dissuade girls from pursuing science. Elsewhere, the challenge will be infrastructure and ensuring access to resources and learning tools. Addressing these intersectional challenges demands localized strategies, which are essential for creating interventions that have enduring impact." Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eryKvFxp #MentorMonth #WomenInSTEM #GirlsInSTEM #STEMGems #GiveGirlsRoleModels

The bridge between a middle-income nation and a developed nation is how much you 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲. In urban India, the % of educated women working in the formal sector remains abysmally low. In 2019, our research at LeadHers estimated that only 7-9% of educated women in urban India were in the formal workforce. Some data now suggests this is ~19%. Encouragingly, India’s female labor force participation rate (FLFPR) has improved to 37%, according to the latest reports. But is this enough? For many reasons, I like to look at the Vietnam model and how it has integrated women's workforce participation into its GDP growth. Vietnam's GDP per capita is around $4110, whereas India's around $2500. 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗟𝗙𝗣𝗥 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟲𝟴%. Could India take inspiration from Vietnam’s model? Well, the Vietnam model is not by chance. It is a result of many deliberate and thoughtful policies, particularly the 𝘿𝙤𝙞 𝙈𝙤𝙞 economic reforms of 1986, which transformed Vietnam’s economy. This and other policies led to- ✅ Opening markets to foreign investment, creating more jobs in services and industry ✅ Gender equality in education, preparing women for workforce participation ✅ Providing generous childcare and maternity benefits to support working mothers ✅ Setting targets for businesses to increase female workers ✅ Offering preferential tax incentives for companies that hire more women ✅ Expanding credit access for rural women in agriculture, forestry and fishing India has a critical opportunity here. Prioritising women in the formal, high value industries especially in STEM and leadership/management roles can significantly expand this talent pool driving productivity and innovation. According to a 2024 World Bank report, closing gender gaps in manufacturing alone could boost India’s economy by 9%. 𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽, 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲. 𝙎𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮, 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙙. The question is: 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹? This is my wish for this year's Women's Day. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. #iwd2025

Dear entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, with everything that’s going on, I wanted to raise some awareness about the “Genius Visa” that helped me get to the U.S. in just 7 days — and how you can do the same. When most people think about moving to the U.S. as a startup founder, they imagine it takes years, piles of paperwork, or a lottery win. But there’s a powerful, underused option: the O-1 Visa — also known as the “genius visa.” It’s designed for people with extraordinary ability in their field. That includes startup founders, engineers, creators, and scientists. The best part? You can expedite it and get a decision in just 15 days. I got mine in just 7. The acceptance rate for the O-1 visa is over 90% — far higher than most people expect. But few founders even apply. Here’s how you qualify: You must show proof of at least 3 out of 8 criteria, including: • Winning awards (even local or regional) • Media coverage about your work • Judging others’ work (pitch competitions, hackathons) • Membership in selective organizations or accelerators • High salary or funding raised • Original contributions in your field • Leading roles in notable organizations • Published material about your work If you’re building something meaningful and have any traction, press, awards, or influence, you might qualify already. I’m sharing this because we need more Ethiopian founders in global markets. The O-1 visa can be your bridge. If you’re interested, I’m happy to share tips or connect you with lawyers who specialize in startup O-1 cases. #Startups #GeniusVisa #Ethiopia #Founders

Nobody put them on a panel. Nobody gave them a grant. Last month, I visited Tomato Jos in Kaduna State; a tomato processing company quietly doing something remarkable in the middle of the Sahel. I went expecting to see a farm. Yes i did.. but i also found women! Women who wake before the heat rises and work the land with a precision that no algorithm can replicate. Women carrying babies on their backs and tomatoes in their hands; not because they have no choice, but because this is their livelihood, their agency, their ground. Meera Mehta, the woman leading Tomato Jos, has built something that doesn’t just process tomatoes. It processes possibility. Under her leadership, hundreds of women in rural Kaduna are now earning consistently, learning post-harvest techniques, and gaining a stake in a value chain that used to pass right over their heads. I stood in that field...No conference room, No keynote, No hashtag. Just women, working, earning, providing. Economic power in its most honest form. We spend so much time debating women’s economic inclusion at the top, in boardrooms, in policy briefs, in beautifully designed reports. And yet the most transformative version of it is already happening quietly. In the dust. In the early morning light of Northern Nigeria. The question is: are we paying attention? Because when a woman on a farm in Kaduna earns a fair wage, she doesn’t just feed herself. She feeds her children, pays school fees, gains a voice in her household. The ripple doesn’t stop at her, it moves through her entire community. Women’s economic power is not a future aspiration. It is a present reality, hiding in plain sight, waiting for the rest of us to catch up. To every woman I met on that farm; You are the Economy. #IWD26 #Give2Gain #ecosystem #Women #Empower #NorthernNigeria Sabou Capital Surayyah Ahmad Tomato Jos

History often changes quietly before it changes dramatically. One such transformation is unfolding across India’s electronics manufacturing sector, where women are emerging as a defining force behind industrial growth. From Bengaluru to Sriperumbudur, and from Krishnagiri to Noida, women are increasingly powering production lines, precision manufacturing, quality systems, and advanced industrial operations. This shift is not simply about employment; it is about the emergence of a new manufacturing workforce. The data tells a compelling story. Women represent 41% of Tamil Nadu’s direct electronics workforce, 66% of the workforce at Delta Electronics’ Krishnagiri facility, and nearly 80,000 women are employed across the Noida-Ghaziabad electronics manufacturing belt. These numbers signal a structural shift. Companies are investing in technical training, robotics, smart manufacturing, leadership development, safe accommodation, and workplace infrastructure. They are recognising that skilled women are not a peripheral workforce, but a competitive advantage. Every woman trained in advanced manufacturing strengthens India’s productive capacity. What is particularly significant is that many of these women are first-generation industrial workers. Their participation is expanding household incomes, creating new aspirations, and strengthening India’s manufacturing competitiveness. I have always believed that investing in women’s skills is not merely a social objective; it is one of the most powerful economic strategies available to any nation seeking sustainable growth. It is heartening to see that India’s next manufacturing milestone will be shaped by a workforce that is increasingly skilled, confident, and inclusive, with women being central to that journey. #WomenInManufacturing #SkillIndia

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝟭-𝗕 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘆-𝗯𝘆-𝗱𝗮𝘆 and is literally shaterring the AMERICAN DREAM for a lot of people wanting to work in the US. The BEST way to deal with this uncertainty is to apply for an 𝗢𝟭 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮. One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that people think it is something very difficult to achieve, and is only meant for extraordinary profiles. But many of the things that strengthen an O-1A petition are already present in the profiles of tech professionals. Things like: • Publishing technical articles • Speaking at conferences • Judging hackathons • Mentoring engineers • Building open-source projects • Earning media recognition • Demonstrating measurable impact at work Whether or not you ever apply for an O-1A, investing in these areas makes you a 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿, 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. Over the past few months, I've spent some time researching the O-1A process, compiled everything into a guide and got it reviewed from an experienced immigration lawyer. 𝗢𝟭 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲: https://lnkd.in/gW_2hsUW Inside you'll find: ✅ A beginner-friendly explanation of the O-1A process ✅ The eligibility criteria explained with real examples ✅ A practical roadmap to start building your profile ✅ Filing templates and resources you can actually use If you're an international student or a working professional in the US, I genuinely hope this helps you. If you are looking for more such immigration and tech resources, checkout my Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gSN9buQ7

When discussions around development take place, the focus often remains on infrastructure, investment, and industry. But meaningful transformation is ultimately reflected in the opportunities available to people. One initiative that has been particularly close to this belief is the Lloyds Vanya Garment Centre in Gadchiroli. What makes the initiative significant is not simply the number of garments produced. It is the number of opportunities created. Today, more than 200 women from 32 villages are part of the initiative, producing over 40,000 garments within just nine months. Behind these numbers are stories of skill development, financial independence, and growing confidence. At the same time, the journey extends beyond the garment centre itself. Many women have stepped into roles that were once considered unconventional, including positions as heavy and light vehicle drivers, while others have taken on important responsibilities within safety and security functions. For me, this represents an important aspect of development. When women gain access to skills, employment, and responsibility, the impact extends far beyond the workplace. It strengthens families, supports communities, and creates pathways for long-term economic participation. Progress becomes more meaningful when more people are able to participate in it. And that is precisely what initiatives like Lloyds Vanya seek to achieve.

👌𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 Too often, economic empowerment programs focus on participation; not impact. A gender equality lens ensures women don’t just join programs, but actually benefit, lead, and sustain gains. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥: 🔹 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Who controls women’s income, time, and decisions? 🔹 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Add childcare, flexible schedules, and safe access 🔹 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬: Not just any job! fair pay, safety, growth 🔹 𝐄𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞: Access to accounts, financial literacy 🔹 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧: Shift norms around care and decision-making 🔹 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬: Align training with real market demand 🔹 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Track agency, income control, and job quality; not just numbers 🔹 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: In design, feedback, and leadership 👉𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞: If participation increases, that’s 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠. If power and choice increase,that’s 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. #GenderEquality #EconomicEmpowerment #Development #InclusiveGrowth