Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Index 

Why it matters

• Women contribute only 18% to India’s GDP.

• 196 million employable women are still outside the workforce.

• India’s dream of becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047 needs women’s participation.

• Inclusive growth = impossible without women.

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What is the WEE Index?

• Launched by Uttar Pradesh (first in India).

• A district-level tool to measure women’s participation in the economy.

• Tracks 5 levers:

  1. Employment

  2. Education & Skilling

  3. Entrepreneurship

  4. Livelihood & Mobility

  5. Safety & Inclusive Infrastructure

👉 Significance: It puts a gender lens in every dataset, every department, every decision.

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Why is it important?

1. Makes the invisible visible – Data disaggregated by gender shows real gaps.

   • Example: UP’s transport sector → very few women bus drivers/conductors → led to new recruitment & restrooms at bus terminals.

2. Shows structural barriers – Women enrol in skilling programs but do not become entrepreneurs → barriers in credit & finance.

3. Catalyst for reforms – Without gender-specific data, reforms stall.

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What needs to be done?

1. Gender-disaggregated data everywhere

   • Every department (MSME, transport, housing, education) must collect and use gender-wise data.

2. Beyond counts

   • Track retention, leadership, re-entry, and quality of jobs (not just numbers).

3. True gender budgeting

   • Apply a gender lens to every rupee spent (education, energy, infrastructure).

   • “You cannot budget for what you do not measure.”

4. Capacity-building

   • Train local governments to use data → prepare district-wise gender action plans.

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Replication across States

• States like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana have trillion-dollar economy targets.

• They must leverage gender dividend by adopting the WEE Index.

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Conclusion

• The WEE Index is not the finish line but the starting point.

• It makes women’s contribution visible and measurable.

• If scaled up, it can shift women from the margins to the mainstream of India’s growth story.

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✅ One-liner for exam conclusion:

“Inclusive growth is impossible without women. By mainstreaming gender in data, budgets, and governance, India can unlock its true growth potential.”