Event Report
Enabling an Equiverse: 4W's- Equal access to Work, Wealth, Wellbeing and Welfare
November 10&11, 2022

In the past decade, nations have rushed to acknowledge the disadvantages women face concerning
workplace participation, equal wage, reproductive health, and stigmatised gender roles. Yet, whilst
many have acknowledged these contingencies, the policies and courses of action differ vastly fromsociety to society. To the dismay of many activists and scholars, a popular trend in recent years isthe erasure of women from the debate. Instead of uplifting women by specifically targeting theirsocial disadvantages through guided dialogue and real-time policy, many have resorted to rendering
women invisible through so-called gender-neutral policies.
Due to these developments, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's (KAS) regional economic program
SOPAS, in cooperation with TalentNomics India, launched a two-day conference titled "Enabling an
Equiverse: 4W's- Equal access to Work, Wealth, Wellbeing and Welfare" to specifically discuss theissues women face in regard to their work, wealth, wellbeing, and welfare. With the goal of not onlynurturing discussions, the conference also aimed to uplift and bring forth inspiration to talented,
young women in India and encourage them to become the next generation of women in leadershiproles.
The conference was held virtually on November 10 and 11, 2022 and consisted of five one-on-oneinterviews and four-panel discussions. Participants included renowned businesswomen and men
from the Indian subcontinent, scholars focussing on women-participation in the private and public
sector, as well as prominent political figures reaching from Japan to the United States.

Format
The two-day conference was opened by the Country Director of KAS Japan and the Regional
Economics Program (SOPAS), Rabea Brauer, as well as founder and Chief Executive Officer ofTalentnomics India, Ipsita Kathuria. The following topics were discussed in the panel format:

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KAS-Tokyo@kas.deCreating Equity in the Work Space
Despite having equal levels of education as their male counterparts, women systematically areunderrepresented in the workforce and have lost out on employment and growth opportunities
across multiple sectors. In order to counteract this trend, the panel introduced and discussed how
women as individuals can be more productively engaged. In spite of the knowledge that women
represent a non-accessed reservoir of talent and opportunity for the country,

and that theirsystematic inclusion into the economy would benefit men and women alike, awareness revolving
around this issue has not resolved the perpetuating inequality.
Restoring Personal Wellbeing
Even though women have a socially and economically lower status than men, they still carryimmense responsibility for their families and loved ones. The marginalised access to work
opportunities, finance, and building a net worth - all crucial factors in creating a safe environment
for families to flourish - creates tremendous pressure impacting both the physical and mental healthof women.
Gender-Specific Welfare Networks
The

aforementioned

issuescanpartially

bemitigatedthroughtheimplementation of

Gender-Specific Welfare Networks which include both private and public policies providing a safety
net to women and their families, inevitably leading to them excelling in their work networks andsecuring their wealth.
Empowering Through Wealth
One of the key issues of the inequality debate concerns the wage gap between men and women.
Even though women have the same qualifications and productive output as men, women earnsignificantly less than their male counterparts. At the same time, women invest more in educationand the health of their families, subsequently providing them with less financial autonomy and thus
less individual freedom to invest money beyond the family. As a result, women are less likely to build
personal wealth and are more susceptible to dropping out of the workforce or losing their job.

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KAS-Tokyo@kas.deWhilst the panel discussions provided a well-rounded insight into the diverse range of views theindividual panellists brought from an assortment of professional and academic backgrounds, theone-on-one

interviews

nourished a deeper understanding of the discourse on women

empowerment on an individual basis. The following one-on-one interviews were included in theconference:

Panel 1: Her Story in Enabling an Equiverse
Many women are often discouraged by the inequality in our society. Hearing encouraging voices is aparamount part of establishing a healthy and sustainable mindset for women to defy the odds andexcel in society. Shabana Azmi shared her personal story of how she broke with pre-existing
stereotypes in work, wealth, wellbeing, and welfare.
Panel 2: Investing in Women for Parity
In this talk, angel investor Padmaja Ruparel shared her experience and advice regarding existing
opportunities and challenges women face in the workforce. Her valuable insights into what can bedone to bring women on par with men, which actors can help them succeed, and how society cankeep women motivated were shared here.
Panel 3: Work, Wealth, and Well-being of Women in Organized Sector
During this interview, we had the honour to speak to Seiko Noda, a member of the Japaneseparliament. As a forerunner in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in regard to women's rights andequality in Japan, Noda updated the participants on the progress and setbacks Japan has faced.
Especially the cross-cultural comparison with India reminded everyone that women face the samechallenges in industrialised and industrialising countries alike.
Panel 4: Success Differentiators for Work, Wealth, and Wellbeing of Women Entrepreneurs inSouth Asia
Whilst the question of success and failure is a cohesive point of interest for all entrepreneurs, thespecific understanding of why certain women prevail where others do not is integral in paving theway for future women's participation in the entrepreneurial sector. Dr. Radhicka Kapoor, awell-established researcher, shared her findings on what sets successful female entrepreneurs in
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KAS-Tokyo@kas.deSouth Asia apart from other members of their cohort. By compiling the qualities and features ofsuccessful female entrepreneurs, Kapoor shed a light on the factors that need to be encouraged tohelp many future women succeed in a male-dominated industry.
Panel 5: Progress and the Way Forward
Joining from Washington D.C, Peggy Clark, CEO, and president of the International Center for
Research on Women (ICRW) provided valuable insights into the global efforts of women
empowerment, the challenges, and also success the global effort has faced.
Closing Manifesto to the Equiverse
In the end, Uma Sharma shared her heartbreaking experience of how she avoided the fate of many
middle-class women in India to be married off, by taking charge of her life, pursuing a career, anddespite multiple hardships and setbacks, was able to prevail in becoming a successful career
woman. Her story reminded all participants of the privation and battles women face today andencouraged all to keep fighting.

Summary
In the following section, the main findings of the conference will be summarised.
Generally, the key driver to success for women in their respective careers is their ability to set up
goals and fixate on a clear vision. This starts by reflecting inwards and finding a clear goal that theysee for themselves and their surrounding society. Whilst internal aspects are integral to starting a
successful business, the systemic barriers women face must equally be overcome on an institutional
level. Thus, employers must invest themselves in creating an equitable environment by fostering
higher women participation in the workforce. This is not only limited to providing women with fair
employment, and promotion opportunities, but to providing educational and vocational experiences
specifically for women, encouraging their confidence in taking on responsibilities.
Breaking with stigmas must continuously take place throughout society by explaining theimportance gender diversity brings for all stakeholders, not only women. This means that
educational institutions must be aware of gender biases, and a general effort must be made in
regards to preventing their perpetuation among future generations.
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KAS-Tokyo@kas.deAwareness of rights should be equally distributed among populations. Women and men alike shouldbe acquainted with their rights to equal access to opportunity and resources. On the other side,
policymakers should be aware of the benefits diversity and gender equity deliver concerning
sustainability and productivity. The responsibility for change in society lies with all stakeholders
equally.
Caregiving is still primarily undertaken by women, leaving them to deal with the challenges alone.
This situation is even more challenging as women and their roles as caregivers oftentimes are taken
for granted. One of the primary steps needed to be realised is spreading awareness on thelabour-intensive work of caregiving, and equally distributing responsibilities between men andwomen. In an ideal setting, caring for others should become an inherently human form ofinteraction, disconnected from any gendered expectation.
Well-being comes as a result of both internal realisation and external validation of one's concerns.
As a result, it is recommended that employers and companies should offer self-reflection andevaluation services to their female employees enabling them to observe their mental modality andfostering an environment where a heightened awareness of mental well-being can be achieved.
Pressure to choose between family and a career should ideally not exist, and women should freely
be able to pursue a path at their own discretion. In order to offer such an equitable environment towomen, a well-constructed work-life balance should be achieved through a diversified and flexible
work schedule. This enables women to excel in their careers while also performing theircommitments through childbirth, parenting, nursing, or elderly care. Simultaneously, it must be
normalised that men also take on responsibilities in the family realm. For an equitable
understanding of the shared responsibilities to be realised, men must have long working hours
reduced, and women must have the opportunity to extend their work time. Subsequently,
policymakers will inevitably have to enact measures that can create a social environment in which
men and women can freely choose both work and living styles that are harmonious with individual
aspirations.
Individual reflections are also necessary for achieving an equitable environment without archaic
gender stereotypes. The first step in achieving this is for individuals, both men and women alikemust become aware of their own internalised biases and stereotypes.

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KAS-Tokyo@kas.deHaving women in entrepreneurial positions and business leadership realms is a crucial step inachieving gender equality. For one, this exposes more women to leadership roles and can inspire
more to push forward into the business world, but even more importantly, women entrepreneurs
act as a catalyst and are the forerunners in hiring more women into their businesses. As a result,more female entrepreneurship will inevitably lead to more women participating in the workforce.
The talks equally highlighted the importance of role models and inspiration for young women, asseeing successful women will provide other women with the necessary courage to push out of their
comfort zones. This will normalise that women can deviate from the norm, and succeed in thebusiness world.
In the 2022 study WeScale: Success Differentiators for Women Entrepreneurs, Dr. Radhicka Kapoor
investigates 23 case studies of successful female entrepreneurs from South Asia. She was able toestablish that there is no singular factor that enables success in female entrepreneurs, but that a
combination of them created the successful, thriving women in her study. Kapoor was able toidentify seven trends that these 23 women had in common:
1. educations, skills, and formal degrees
2. family supportive of entrepreneurial endeavours
3. all succeeded in non-traditional sectors
4. followed a structure model of experimentation (not overnight success, but trial anderror)
5. role models and mentors played a key role
6. prior work experience essential
7. personality characteristics: self-efficiency, curiosity, hardworking, etc.
Financial success and independence come with high degrees of financial literacy. Especially forwomen, who are the primary figures tackling health, education, and care in families across theworld, becoming financially literate is an integral step in achieving an equitable environment. Within-depth consultations, women and men can build confidence in their financial transactions andbuild a networth to secure their livelihoods.

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KAS-Tokyo@kas.deConclusion
Throughout the two-day conference, participants, and guest speakers alike, had the opportunity to
discuss the state of affairs on women empowerment in South Asia from multiple angles. Participants
were able to witness the success and change the past years of activism have brought upon society inSouth Asia but were equally reminded of the work that still lies ahead. With a well-rounded
symposium consisting of policymakers, activists, researchers, and successful businesswomen,
participants were encouraged to continue breaking with the gender norms of the past. At the sametime, all were reminded that every individual carries a responsibility in transforming society into an
equitable environment where women can thrive. The shared responsibilities in achieving this goal
were equally reflected in the participant makeup of the conference. With roughly 40% maleparticipation, we can register a trend that men are pushing alongside women for positive change.
Furthermore, given that participants tuned in to the conference from 12 countries, the cross-borderand international character of the plight for women's advancement becomes visible.
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation Japan, the Regional Economic Program SOPAS, and TalentNomics
India are satisfied with the outcome of this conference and are looking forward to not only thetriumph and change the talented guest speakers continue to bring to society in South Asia, but evenmore so to see the impact and future success stories of our many talented, and bright participantsin the years to come.

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