One of the key themes of the World Economic Forum (WEF), year after year, is the topic of inclusion. When the world talks about inclusion, diversity is important, but the role of women is also important. Former Union Minister Smriti Irani spoke to NDTV in Davos on many issues related to women.
Ms Irani, a leader who has perhaps done more for social inclusion and women’s rights than any other leader in India over the past several years, told NDTV that it is important to look at productivity from health. perspective, rather than just looking at it from a skill set perspective.
She heads the Alliance for Global Good-Gender Equity and Equality (AGG-GEE), launched in Davos in 2024.
On India’s demographic dividend and its potential with respect to the role of women, Ms Irani told NDTV that broadly, Indians have for a very long time focused on what was happening in the country, but now the focus The focus should be on Indians who are leading the global narrative.
“I believe the time has come for us to focus on Indians leading global leadership on issues like inclusion, climate change, health innovation for global well-being. Many times, people limit us only to our geography. Given that, we can only be experts on Indian demography,” the former Union minister said. “So the lounge that you see here (in Davos) is not a lounge that is dedicated only to inclusion , or limited to India Dedicated to the energy of inclusion. We are saying that we have done this in India for the world. ,
Ms Irani said India is taking its learnings to internationally acclaimed institutions like the World Bank and the United Nations; collaborating with organizations such as the World Health Organization; Policymakers, global innovators and industry leaders look at the budget, how much investment can come into women-owned businesses and companies dedicated to health innovations and products for women, and how to make these products affordable.
Responding to a question about data that shows women own one-third of the world’s wealth, and are likely to control 50 percent of the world’s wealth in the next five years, Ms. Irani said that currently the world The consumption power of women across the world is $20 trillion.
“This is something we never talk about. When the inclusion agenda is talked about, especially in relation to women, it is more altruistic in nature. It has less to do with domestic or external violence. My belief and my experience in the gender agenda is that the more you increase a woman’s capital capacity, the safer environment you give her, both at home and at work,” Ms Irani said. Told NDTV. “You can’t just talk about philanthropy, be forceful in your rhetoric, and not put money where the mouth is.”
Impact of AI on women in the workplace
At Davos, where the conversation is mainly on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, Ms Irani said that if jobs get automated, 70 per cent of the jobs will be done by women as most of the jobs are held by women professionals at the entry level. Are.
“What will happen to the large labor force that we have encouraged so far to become part of the global reality? How do they get displaced? What are the strategies of policy makers, companies with respect to such human capacity and capability? The second part if You look around Davos, this year the conversation is on the next level of AI engagement,” Ms Irani said, adding that till now many Indians and global citizens have looked at AI from a generative AI perspective, meaning that one gives The AI signals the service and tells it what to draft.
“It (AI service) can give you hints on music, art, but it does not help you reveal the workflow. Now, what will happen when you have AI agents, that will become the topic of discussion for 2025, What is a hybrid approach? Many people believe that AI has been around since the 1950s, and now AI agents will actually lead to the displacement of talent.”
“Are we ready for this? Because in low-income economies around the world, internet penetration is just 20 per cent, maximum 30 per cent. These are all issues that need to be negotiated because displaced people mean jobs in terms of prospects. Are.” Those have diminished, and job displacement impacts the economy and society at large,” she said. “This will no longer be just a women’s problem. This will be a problem for global economies, especially those that are developing and have not yet reached a standard of per capita income worth celebrating.”
Looking at productivity from a health perspective
The former Union Minister has been speaking on the issue of women’s health for many years. Drawing on data that every dollar invested in maternal health yields a return of $30 due to improved productivity and lower mortality rates, Ms Irani said global economies would lose trillions of dollars if they did not focus on health innovations that would improve women’s health. Will help maintain productivity.
“And these statistics are, really, worrying because we have never looked at the issue of productivity from a health perspective. Most people, when they get into discussions about productivity, they only look at skill sets. How much productivity Is affordable health vulnerable due to lack of innovation? That’s a conversation that hasn’t started yet,” she said.
“So my effort will be to have a very clear focus on these aspects of productivity, to ensure that there is more capital in health innovation, especially for women,” Ms Irani said.
