The need to properly equip women with relevant job skills to meet the demands of labour markets today and in the future is urgent. Skills are also key to achieving the goal of inclusive growth envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, such as realizing Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and Goal 8 to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

While acknowledging that broader efforts are necessary to combat gender discrimination, this report focuses on the role of gender mainstreaming in skills development to grant women agency.  Gender mainstreaming in skills development is essential to overcoming gender gaps in the workforce at every level – employees, managers and entrepreneurs. In addition, training in basic digital proficiencies, soft skills, and, financial and entrepreneurial savviness is of vital importance to women’s successful integration into the labour market.

This report takes India as a case and was prepared in collaboration with the IKEA Foundation and UNDP India based on more than a decade of experience driving women’s empowerment projects in India.