5 min readOct 15, 2026 03:07 PM IST First published on: Oct 15, 2026 at 03:07 PM ISTAs homes and communities across India come alive for another season of colours, prayers and festivities during Navratri, we are reminded of Shakti, the divine feminine force embodied by Goddess Durga through courage, wisdom and resilience. Yet, as we come together to honour this spirit, it is worth asking a larger question: What does it mean to worship feminine power if, in reality, women are not equally represented in shaping the nation’s future?The answer lies not in treating women’s empowerment as merely a matter of inclusion, but in recognising women-led development as a national imperative. Women must be seen not only as participants in nation-building, but as architects of India’s economic, technological and strategic future. India has made progress, with women’s labour force participation rising from 23.3 per cent in 2017-18 to 41.7 per cent in 2023–24, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey. Yet this participation does not automatically translate into secure jobs, financial independence, career advancement, or influence over decisions. The next phase must bridge this gap between access and agency. The question is not whether women are inherently better leaders, but whether India can afford to underutilise the talent and expertise of half its population.AdvertisementAs the country looks towards 2047, its ability to navigate technological disruption, climate change and geopolitical uncertainty will depend on who shapes its solutions and sets its priorities. Consider artificial intelligence. Women must not only acquire digital skills but also help build AI systems, lead technology companies and shape the rules governing emerging technologies. In the green transition, they must move beyond being beneficiaries of livelihood schemes to becoming entrepreneurs and decision-makers. In foreign policy, defence and national security, representation must translate into meaningful influence over strategic choices.Women-led development, therefore, cannot remain confined to welfare or social policy. Women must help shape the future in boardrooms, laboratories, legislatures, diplomatic missions and institutions governing the digital and physical worlds.Also Read | India should stop counting its AI chips and start asking for resultsHowever, while we talk of women in leadership roles, we must understand that leadership requires more than aspiration; it needs enabling institutions. The scale of women’s entrepreneurship offers both promise and a reminder of the work ahead. In February 2024, the Ministry of MSME reported that women-owned enterprises accounted for 20.5 per cent of MSMEs registered on the Udyam portal, contributing 10.22 per cent of their reported turnover. Expanding women’s access to finance, markets and business networks is essential to turning enterprise into economic power.AdvertisementCare infrastructure and a fairer distribution of unpaid work are equally important. India’s Time Use Survey 2024 found that women aged 15–59 who participated in unpaid domestic work spent an average of 305 minutes a day on it, while women providing care spent nearly twice as long as men. Safety also shapes women’s choices: A 2026 study by NBER in Delhi and Bengaluru found that around 70 per cent of women surveyed said fear of harassment affected whether they worked. Women-led development therefore requires not only opportunities, but also the time, infrastructure and freedom to pursue them.Political representation presents another gap. Women constituted only 14 per cent of MPs elected to the 18th Lok Sabha in 2024, according to PRS Legislative Research. Representation must translate into influence over budgets, legislation, and national priorities, just as workplace mentorship must lead to advancement and skills training must lead to confident involvement in shaping future policy and outcomes.The policy agenda, then, must be clear and measurable. India should invest in affordable childcare and eldercare, safer public transport, gender-responsive urban planning, and stronger enforcement of workplace protections. It must expand women’s access to credit, procurement opportunities, land and property rights, while building leadership pipelines in STEM, climate action, entrepreneurship, public administration and national security. Gender-responsive budgeting should move from accounting to accountability, tracking not only allocations but outcomes in ownership, leadership and decision-making power.you may likeWomen-led development requires shared responsibility: Businesses must create pathways to leadership, educational institutions must prepare women for emerging sectors, and families and public institutions must challenge unequal expectations. India must also measure progress beyond women’s participation in schools, workplaces and institutions, asking whether they own assets, lead organisations and influence policy, technology and economic change. The goal is not merely to include women in existing structures, but to empower them to transform those structures.As Navratri reminds us, Shakti is not only the power to endure, but the power to create and transform. India’s commitment to that ideal must extend beyond celebration into institutions, markets, policies, and everyday choices. It becomes important that women-led development becomes a pillar of nation-building, reflected in every girl’s freedom to shape her future and every woman’s ability to influence the decisions that shape the country. The unfinished promise of Shakti is not merely to celebrate women’s power, but to ensure they can exercise it.The writer, a former Rajya Sabha MP, is with Shiv Sena (UBT)