Washington D.C. [USA], Mar 11 : The United States Embassy in New Delhi has launched a podcast series 'Women in Labour' focusing on why women are disappearing from India's workforce and what could be done about it.
Launched on the occasion of International Women's Day on Sunday, the embassy-sponsored series will release new episodes every Tuesday and Saturday featuring guest speakers from all walks of life including journalists, filmmakers, IAS officers, social scientists, economists, policy influencers, entrepreneurs, and opinion-makers.
The bi-weekly episodes will tackle a specific angle of why women are falling out of India's workforce -- the percentage of Indian women in paid work has dropped from 35 per cent in 2005 to less than 24 per cent today. These include conversations on education, work culture, marriage, domestic life, women in public spaces, and internal struggles.
'Women in Labour' was created by Christina MacGillivray and Laura Quinn, with support from the US Embassy in New Delhi. MacGillivray, a filmmaker who directed the United Nations' first-ever stand-up comedy festival focusing on immigration and human rights, will present each episode alongside one of India's most celebrated comedians -- Aditi Mittal.
The first two episodes of 'Women in Labour,' featuring journalist Namita Bhandare and sports reporter Mayanti Langer Binny, can be listened to at womeninlabour.com. Episodes can also be downloaded on major podcast platforms.
The podcast will also host a live conversation about the experiences of Indian women in sports at the American Center at 7 pm on Wednesday. The panel will include sportswriter Rica Roy and professional athletes Jyoti Ann Burret, V Kapoor, and Raspreet Sidhu.
( With inputs from ANI )