Gender disparities remain a major issue in India, especially in access to education, employment, and economic independence for women. While we have made progress in laws and social awareness, many women and girls remain denied opportunities to develop and earn a living, which hinders larger development. 

If we truly wish to empower women, we must commit to and measure real steps connecting Gender Equality to livelihoods. Equal access to education, skill development, and financial independence are incredibly important for breaking the cycle of poverty and discrimination. When women earn, they reinvest into their families and communities, enabling change from the ground up. The consequences of gender inequality go far beyond individual lives—they hold back entire communities and economies.

At the Care India Welfare Trust, we believe that change starts from the grassroots level. Whether it is teaching vocational skills, supporting women to set up their businesses, or promoting safe and inclusive workplaces, we are helping performers towards an equal society. But this collective effort needs to be undertaken by families, communities, NGOs, governments, and the private sector. 

In this blog, you'll find 10 concrete and powerful action steps to end gender inequality in India, with many being directly tied to improving the livelihoods of women. From access to employment and training to financial tools and community support, these pathways can shift the lives of girls and women, and create a more equal and balanced society. Understanding these solutions also helps us confront the effects of gender inequality in India, which continue to limit progress and opportunity for millions.

Top 10 Livelihood-Focused Solutions to End Gender Inequality in India

1. Provide Equal Access to Quality Education and Skill Training
Education is the cornerstone of empowerment however, many girls in India are not able to access this basic right due to being born into poverty, cultural, or social norms. When we give girls and women equal access to vocational training or formal education, we are equipping them with pathways to self-sufficiency. When a woman learns a skill, they gains self-efficacy and an opportunity to change their life.

2. Promote Women’s Participation in the Workforce
Women want to work. But women's work is frequently underrecognized because of gender stereotypes, lack of hybrid roles, hiring bias, or discrimination in the workplace. When inclusive hiring policies are created, as well as flexible or hybrid roles, and women are allowed to work at their dignity of choice, pathways open up for women to work with dignity and participate in the workforce. When women are participating in the economy, it creates an identity of purpose, and purpose creates pride.

3. Support Women-Led Enterprises and Small Businesses
Women bring unique ideas to the table, but they often lack the resources to launch or grow businesses. Providing them with microloans, practical mentorships, and requirements for market access allows them to create sustainable sources of income. These businesses sustain their families and inspire other women.

4. Ensure Equal Pay for Equal Work

Women should earn wages that are comparable to men doing similar work. Unfortunately, wage gaps still occur. Establishing equal pay is one part of working toward justice and financial equity for women. It is also a demonstration of the value women’s labor has in the economy and could lead to increased labor market participation of women.

5. Build Safe and Inclusive Work Environments
Women often do not enter work, fearful of harassment or the lack of facilities, performing as maternity leave, childCare, etc. Ensuring a safe, respectful, and supportive workplace is essential in retaining talent and showing women they matter through their dignity and safety.

6. Improve Access to Financial Literacy and Banking Services
A lot of women do not have a bank account and have little to no financial management skills whatsoever. By teaching women how to save, invest, and also use their bank digitally, women will ensure control over their savings and their future. Financial independence is a major milestone in the goal of gender equality.

7. Strengthen Women’s Self-Help Groups and Cooperatives
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) help women act collectively, support one another, and earn an income together. These collectives are a powerful means for rural women to access training, credit, and markets, while also building their confidence and solidarity.

8. Challenge Gender Norms Through Community Engagement
Income through women's economic activity and productive action is true sustainable change. Partnering with communities, men, and youth to help change mindsets and address harmful traditional practices while demonstrating the value of women's economic roles in society is the way to go. It is easier to advocate for gender equality when society recognizes that women with economic agency benefit everyone.

9. Use Technology to Expand Livelihood Opportunities
The digital world is opening doors for women in remote and regional communities to gain work through various platforms and online courses. With a smartphone and internet connectivity, a woman in a rural Cambodian village can learn, earn, and sell, overcoming barriers of gender and geographical location.

10. Collaborate with NGOs, Corporations, and Government Schemes
No one organization can tackle gender inequality alone. We need to build partnerships that harness the capacity of NGO's, businesses, and government programs into an ecosystem for women's development. When these sectors come together, resources are multiplied and social impact is achieved.

Promote Equal Access to Skill-Based Education and Training

A girl who learns a skill learns to be independent for herself. But in many villages, when a boy and girl want to study, the boy is able to study and the girl gets a broom. To end this cycle, we need to focus on skill development programs for girls: classes for tailoring, computer literacy, mobile repair, digital marketing or beautician training. These are more than just skills, they are the armoring against dependency.  

When a girl earns her income, she earns a voice in her extended family. She is no longer seen as a financial burden and a heavy weight on the family. The girl will delay her marriage to invest in her future and then dare to dream larger. Each vocational training center we establish is one less girl who is more likely to get married at 16. And the starting point for continued civic learning for one more woman who is starting a small business from their home. If we want equal partners, we need to set women up as stakeholders so they are invested in their future.

Support Women-Led Small Businesses and Startups

Now picture a woman living in a remote village who has made a delicious type of pickle that's coveted by city-dwellers, but she can't sell the pickles because she doesn't know how to price them, where to sell them, or make them in larger quantities. Her talent is hidden beneath poverty. Then picture what happens when she gets a small loan, a mentor, and some access to markets. That's not just empowering her, that's transformational.

When a woman leads a business, her confidence increases, and her daughters are growing up with an alternate definition of success. Care India Welfare Trust has seen women progress from zero income to being able to educate their children and repair their homes. Small businesses evolve into evidence that women are not just Caregivers, they are creators, leaders, and entrepreneurs. But they need a nudge. A ₹10,000 loan, a few hours of training, and someone who believes in them- that is all it takes to convert that potential into power.

Create Job Opportunities in Local Communities for Women

Each time a woman leaves the village to earn, she leaves her children behind, her own protection behind, and her own peace of mind behind. But what if the jobs came to her? Local employment changes it all. Women can earn and stay home and nearer to their children in local jobs... in local tailoring units, food packaging, dairy cooperatives, or agri-businesses.

These jobs can help women and can help entire communities. Families have a basis of financial security, children stay in school longer, and the next generation gets to see a working woman as the norm rather than the exception. Care India Welfare Trust has allowed these opportunities to exist in rural clusters, where they bring about tangible outcomes: more girls staying in school, fewer underage marriages, and a change in perception of women's roles.

Let us take the jobs to the places where women are. Let us ensure that women never have to choose between safety and an income. Women deserve both.

Ensure Equal Pay for Equal Work

A woman and a man work the same hours on a farm. She gets ₹150. He gets ₹250. That’s not just unfair—it’s unjust. Wage inequality is one of the most silent but harmful forms of discrimination. It sends a message that women’s work matters less. That they are fewer.

We must change this, and not just through speeches. It starts with awareness. Many women don’t even know they’re being underpaid. Care India Welfare Trust conducts wage awareness sessions, encourages women to demand slips, and helps them negotiate. We also work with employers to make fair pay the norm.

When women are paid equally, their sense of worth changes. They feel seen. Their children see equality in action. And society slowly starts to shift. Equal pay is not just about money—it’s about dignity.

Enable Access to Financial Services and Bank Accounts

How can a woman plan her future if she can’t even hold her own money? In India, many women still don’t have a bank account. Their savings lie in kitchen jars or in their husband’s wallet. Without financial literacy, even the hardest-working woman remains vulnerable.

At Care India Welfare Trust, we walk door to door in villages to help women open zero-balance accounts, understand digital payments, and start saving. We teach them to use ATMs, UPI apps, and understand interest rates. This access brings freedom. It gives women the power to say no to early marriage, to invest in their children, or to leave abusive homes.

Financial inclusion isn’t technical—it’s personal. When a woman has ₹1,000 in her account that only she can touch, she feels control, security, and pride. That’s the beginning of real empowerment.

Encourage Gender-Inclusive Workplaces

Workplaces should be places of growth, not fear. Yet, many women hesitate to work outside because they fear harassment, judgment, or a lack of support. It’s time we made workplaces more humane and inclusive.

That means having toilets for women. It means flexible hours for mothers. It means no tolerance for harassment. And it means maternity leave is not seen as a burden but a right. Care India partners with small businesses and factories to help implement these changes. We train managers, conduct gender sensitization workshops, and help write better HR policies.

A safe and respectful workplace does more than retain female employees—it helps them rise. And when women rise, they bring others with them.

Build Women’s Cooperatives and Self-Help Groups (SHGs)

There is power in unity. When women come together, they support each other, share knowledge, and amplify their earnings. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and cooperatives are not just about income—they're about identity.

We’ve seen women in SHGs pool small amounts to buy sewing machines, start catering businesses, or invest in livestock. They learn budgeting, leadership, and mutual trust. These groups become families. They become safe spaces where women can speak, learn, and grow.

Through NGO’s work, over 10,000 women have joined SHGs in the past year alone. They don’t just earn—they transform their communities. They send their daughters to school. They invest in water filters. They fix village roads. Change doesn’t always need a revolution—sometimes, it just needs a circle of women sitting together under a tree, dreaming out loud.

Educate Families on the Economic Value of Girls’ Livelihoods

Too many parents still believe daughters are a loss. They raise them to serve others, not themselves. We must shatter this belief.

Care India Welfare Trust conducts family awareness sessions where we show what happens when girls earn. We tell stories of girls who became teachers, nurses, and designers. We show how their income helped build homes, support aging parents, and fund their brothers’ education. We prove that daughters are assets, not liabilities.

Changing mindsets is not easy. But when a father sees his daughter bringing home her first paycheck, something shifts. Pride replaces pity. Hope replaces hesitation. That’s the moment when gender inequality begins to die.

Use Technology to Bridge the Livelihood Gap

In a world of smartphones, no woman should be left behind. Technology is a great equalizer—if we teach women how to use it. Whether it’s learning to sell handmade products on WhatsApp or taking remote classes via YouTube, tech opens doors that poverty had shut.

Care India Welfare Trust trains women in basic smartphone use, introduces them to digital platforms for freelancing, and helps them register on e-commerce sites. We’ve seen village women sell jewelry to customers in Delhi or offer tuition classes via Zoom.

Technology isn't just about screens—it’s about visibility. It brings opportunities to women’s doorsteps, especially those who cannot leave their homes due to cultural or personal barriers. With the right training, a smartphone becomes more than a device—it becomes a livelihood.

Partner with NGOs and Corporations for Livelihood Programs

No single organization can solve gender inequality alone. That’s why partnerships matter. When NGOs like Care India Welfare Trust, join hands with corporates, the impact multiplies.

We’ve collaborated with companies to fund vocational training centers, sponsor microloans, offer internships for rural girls, and set up digital hubs. These partnerships bring in resources, scale, and visibility. They show that businesses, too, can play a role in changing lives.

And the results? Girls who once dropped out are now earning more than their parents. Widows are running stores. Housewives are becoming trainers. It’s not just livelihood—it’s a movement.

Conclusion: This Is Not Just a Fight for Girls—It’s a Fight for Justice

Gender inequality robs our country of its full potential. It clips the wings of half our population. But we are not powerless. With real steps like the ones above, we can break the barriers that hold girls back.

Let’s remember—every girl we empower is a family uplifted, a community strengthened, and a nation moved forward. The time for sympathy is over. The time for action is now.

Join Care India Welfare Trust in building a country where every girl is valued not for who she marries, but for what she builds.

FAQ

What Is The Reason Of Gender Inequality In Our Society?

Gender inequality stems from deep-rooted patriarchy, lack of education, cultural norms, and limited opportunities for women, leading to unequal power, pay, and participation in decision-making across society.

What Are The Key Factors Contributing To Gender Inequality In India?

Key factors contributing to gender inequality in India include patriarchy, limited education for girls, wage disparity, lack of economic opportunities, social norms, early marriage, and unequal access to healthcare and resources.