Thought Arbitrage, in collaboration with TalentNomics India and Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), has undertaken a two-year research study aimed at understanding the gender disparities and inequities in economic empowerment within the formal sectors of specific South Asian nations—India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, benchmarked to a better performing East Asian country, viz., Thailand.

The research aims to uncover the root causes behind the limited participation of women in the formal workforce, employing a structured approach: 4Ws framework. The 4Ws encompassing work, wealth, welfare and well-being will help to understand the complicated dynamics surrounding women’s workforce participation, providing a comprehensive understanding of the challenges women face in these regions.

The research follows a two-pronged approach, combining secondary data from publicly available and reliable sources with a primary survey in each of these countries for a well-rounded holistic analysis. The study will also feature case studies of ‘successful women’ who have overcome barriers and will be able to offer valuable insights into strategies for breaking the glass ceiling.
Through such an analysis the study expects to gain an understanding of the unique contexts in which women function in their respective workspaces. It seeks to ideate actionable strategies by providing a set of recommendations for policy makers which will help create workplaces that are more inclusive, thereby empowering women to thrive in their professional journeys.
The project is spread across 2 years and the final report is expected to be released in September 2024.

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