The United Nations’ theme for International Women’s Day 2026 – “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls” is a call to dismantle discriminatory laws, policies, practices and systemic barriers that pose barriers towards women equality and empowerment. Despite notable progress on gender equality globally, glaring gaps persist across education attainment, skill development, health outcomes, livelihood opportunities, leadership roles, resource-sharing and mobility.

Still, less than 20 per cent of the world’s landholders are women, around 40 per cent of rural girls attend secondary school, many are excluded from decision-making roles and subjected to systemic violence, segregation, and neglect. Moving forward requires interventions that are comprehensive, long- term and transformative, going beyond welfare and incremental policy fixes. In this context, the Indian government’s approach of women-led development under Prime Minister Modi adds a significant dimension to the gender agenda.

By hailing Nari Shakti as a driving pillar of society and innovation, it positions women as architects of India’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision and development journey rather than passive beneficiaries. This approach prioritizes gender and embeds it in structural framework by adopting a life cycle perspective, mainstreaming gender across policy areas and introducing targeted interventions including inducting women into new domains, thus breaking the traditional silo approach and seeking to shift societal attitudes, beyond just economic empowerment.

Lest we forget, the genesis of International Women’s Day lies in the 1909 strike of New York garment workers demanding fair wages, dignity and better conditions. That spark grew into a global movement and IWD was recognized by the UN in 1975. For centuries, women across the world endured social, political and legal subjugation until the industrial revolution and feminist movements began to challenge entrenched norms. India’s story runs parallel, yet is also distinct.

Here, women once ruled kingdoms, led armies, shaped philosophy, patronized art and education, and were revered as embodiments of the divine feminine. Centuries of invasions and patriarchy, among other factors, curtailed this stature, yet women never surrendered. They powered the freedom struggle, advanced environmental movements, innovated farming and safeguarded traditional knowledge. The post-colonial challenge in India has therefore been more than economic welfare. It is a deeper battle to dismantle patriarchy, shift attitudes and restore women to their historic place as leaders, innovators and agents of change.

Globally, India is signatory to key treaties advancing women’s rights, dignity, and equality, from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Beijing Declaration and Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030. It has also shaped gender agenda at other forums such as climate summits and through its G20 Presidency, mirroring its domestic outlook. Nationally, the Constitution guarantees equality and the Directive Principles emphasize equal livelihood, pay and maternity relief. The NDA government has marked a decisive shift towards gender agenda by embedding women’s agency into the country’s structural framework.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam reserves one-third of legislative seats, making women authors of laws, while measures such as the abolition of Triple Talaq, PM Ujjwala Yojana for clean cooking, Jal Jeevan Mission for safe water and Awas Yojana for housing restore dignity and transform living. A life-cycle approach to ensure support from birth to old age is dire c te d at comprehensive development covering birth, nutrition, skilling, employment, leadership, social security and old age, with schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao; Saksham Anganwadi, and POSHAN 2.0. Ayushman Bharat, Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras, PMGDISHA, L akhpati Didi, SHE Mar ts, WISE-KIRAN, etc.

Additionally, induction of women in defence and combat roles serve to break the structural barriers too. From a policy perspective, gender is mainstreamed across development domains, resulting in gender-responsive plans and strategies including in livelihoods pathways, climate action and decentralized energy solutions that address women’s specific needs and vulnerabilities. Institutional mechanisms such as Gender Resource Centres and gender desks and capacity building measures especially at grassroot levels and across stakeholders seek to sensitize and provide right tools and knowledge to prioritize gender. Quantitatively, decisive gains are achieved.

The sex ratio has improved to 930 per 1000 males, infant mortality has fallen by 37 per cent in the last decade and maternal mortality has dropped by 86 per cent since 1990. Women now constitute 58 per cent of PMKVY trainees, 69 per cent of MUDRA loan recipients and 73 per cent of housing beneficiaries. Sixteen crore women have accessed maternal care services, while women-led MSMEs have nearly doubled in a decade. Enabling environments have produced outcomes once unimaginable, from lifting the cricket World Cup and shaping electoral victories to pioneering Jal Shakti Abhiyan and curating OTT content.

Beyond statistics, India’s holistic approach is reshaping the foundations of development, driving inclusive and lasting growth by ensuring access to resources, acceptability, leadership roles and mindset shifts. The Indian story is transforming, slowly but surely. It demonstrates how systems can enable women to lead and redefine the nation’s growth trajectory.

(The writers are, respectively, National Spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party and a practitioner of developmental and sustainability issues.)

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