Women’s participation must become national agenda: Gurnani

‘Even Parliament has only 17% women members’

Women’s participation in India at workplace and educational institutions should be a national agenda, according to C.P. Gurnani, CEO and MD, Tech Mahindra.

“I think it (women’s participation) really has to become a national agenda,” Mr. Gurnani said at an event in Mumbai.

Even when the representation of women in Parliament is at a historic high of 17%, it still falls far short of the halfway mark, he said.

While a push for inclusion has resulted in greater participation of women across workplaces and colleges, any meaningful measures of gender equality remain a challenge, Mr. Gurnani said.

According to Mr. Gurnani, the challenge of inclusion is also specific to certain geographies that have historically discouraged the participation of women.

“When I went to school, there were only two girls in a batch of 300 students. Today, when I go to hire from engineering schools, the number is around 40% depending on which geography you are going to,” said Mr. Gurnani.