Why is gender equality essential for sustainable development?

07/08/25

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In conversations around sustainable development, gender equality often shows up as one item on a long list of priorities. But the reality is that if we get this one right, everything else moves faster. Health systems become more resilient; climate action becomes more rooted in community; economies become not just bigger, but fairer.

Across Asia, we’ve seen how this plays out on the ground. Groups of women who once ran informal savings circles now manage solar microgrids that power their villages. In Indonesia, women-led cooperatives are replanting mangroves to protect the fisheries that feed their communities.

Why Is Gender Equality In India Essential for Sustainable Development?

There’s a reason gender equality sits at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is a multiplier, unlocking progress in powerful ways.

Start with healthcare. Women are usually the first responders at home, navigating childbirth, illness, nutrition, among other needs. When they have access to information and care, entire households do better. That’s not a theory. It shows up in lower infant mortality, better vaccination rates, and stronger nutrition indicators.

Some countries in Asia are making quiet progress here. Thailand has broadened adolescent reproductive health services. India’s push for institutional deliveries has improved maternal outcomes. But even now, the bigger gap isn’t always medical—it’s about autonomy. Can girls access services without stigma? Do women have the power to make decisions about their own health? These aren’t abstract questions. They shape who survives a crisis, who can return to work after illness, and who gets to plan a future.

When The Climate Heats Up, The Gender Gap Widens

Climate change isn’t gender-neutral. During floods, droughts, or heatwaves, it’s women who walk further for water, care for the sick, or go without food. And yet, they’re rarely in the room when climate plans are made.

But that’s changing. In South Asia, women’s self-help groups are turning dry patches of land into climate-resilient farms—experimenting with millet over rice, using less water and yielding more. In the Philippines, women have taken charge of post-disaster relief operations, creating systems that are more responsive to community needs. They’re not waiting for a seat at the table. They’re building their own.

Read Also: Why Are Women Employed in Low Paid Work?

What’s needed now is for governments and funders to meet them halfway. That means designing climate funds that reach local actors. It means measuring success not just in megawatts or tons of carbon, but in lives improved—and leadership expanded. Child protection organization efforts increasingly recognise that environmental resilience must be gender-inclusive to safeguard both women and children in vulnerable communities.

Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality in India

Here’s the simple math: more women in the workforce equals more growth. But this isn’t just about employment numbers. It’s about the conditions under which women work. Too often, women take on unpaid care roles or operate in informal jobs with little protection. During the pandemic, they were the first to exit the workforce and often the last to return. And yet, some of the most interesting innovations are happening in this space.

In India, digital platforms are helping women-run micro-enterprises access not just capital, but customers. In Vietnam, factories are experimenting with childcare solutions that reduce dropout rates among female employees. In Bangladesh, garment workers are organising for safer conditions—redefining what workplace dignity means. These shifts also point to the root causes of gender inequality in India, particularly the lack of support systems that enable women’s economic participation at scale.

Philanthropy can play a role here, not by replacing markets or government, but by absorbing risk, testing ideas, and proving models – thereby building bridges that others can walk across.

What Is Gender Equality Without Leadership?

More women in leadership mean more inclusive policy—but also different kinds of priorities being addressed. Women leaders have shifted budget priorities toward sanitation, education, and flood prevention. In India, villages with female sarpanches (heads of local government) often have better water infrastructure, because they know what’s missing. The real shift comes when we stop treating women’s leadership as a novelty—and start treating it as necessary infrastructure. Child protection organization networks also show that when women are involved in decision-making, child welfare outcomes improve measurably.

It’s easy to set targets and harder to shift systems. But the architecture for real change already exists—it just needs backing, and it must be rooted in an insight-led understanding of the causes of gender inequality in India. When gender equality is embedded from the start—whether in climate finance, tech policy, or urban planning—the results are more durable, fairer, and more aligned with how people actually live.

Bal Raksha Bharat operates at the intersection of women’s development and sustainability by empowering women as key agents of change within their communities. Through programmes that promote education, health, livelihoods, and climate resilience, the organisation ensures that women are not just beneficiaries but drivers of long-term, sustainable progress. Its work reflects a belief that true development is only possible when women are equipped with the tools and opportunities to lead it.

Naveen Kumar

“Naveen is an SEO expert and digital marketing analyst at Bal Raksha Bharat with a passion for helping businesses grow online. With a data-driven approach, he specializes in boosting search rankings, driving traffic, and optimizing digital strategies. Follow for tips on SEO, content, and marketing trends."