To boost economy, experts push for gender inclusive infrastructure at AIIB annual meeting

Development of gender inclusive infrastructure will make the facilities accessible to all sections of the population, thus giving a fillip to the economy, said experts from different fields during a panel discussion on ‘Gender and Infrastructure’ on Monday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the third annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Suneeta Dhar, senior adviser, JAGORI Women’s Training and Resource Centre, said, “The rights to the city are not limited to a section of society, but to all. The fear or threat of violence restricts women’s access to the city. However, surveillance by way of CCTV cameras is not the only way to provide safety. In fact, it adds an additional gaze to the existing moral policing.”

“As of August 2017, 38 per cent of the total workforce in nine main areas of employment are women. So, our public transport has to cater to them. This will help them contribute better to the economy,” said Silvia Halim, director of Construction, Mass Rapid Transit, Jakarta.

On how women in leadership positions provide a different perspective, Halim said, “In Indonesia, train drivers are generally men. But we were finding it difficult to get drivers as there are three more projects coming simultaneously. So, women leaders suggested that there is nothing about the job that cannot be performed by women. So, we have hired the first six female train drivers in the country.”

Andrew Morrison of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), said there was a need to work on both the demand and supply.

“We need to work on the supply of women staff by encouraging them to take up jobs, and also their demand by getting people to hire them. Employers may not be open to hiring women for jobs which are not traditionally done by them. Here schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in India where there are quotas and subsidies can help,” he said.

Rohini Pande, professor, Harvard University, and a panelist at the session, countered the statement.

“In democratic countries, the need to win elections should play a check. The responsibility has to be on the domestic policies,” she said.