RONO HILLS, 7 Mar: The two-day national seminar titled ‘Women and future of work in the age of digital and climate transitions’, organised by the Women Studies & Research Centre (WS&RC) of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), in collaboration with RGU’s economics department as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations, concluded here on Friday.
During the concluding session, University of Mumbai’s Director (R) Ritu Diwan highlighted the need for stronger research initiatives and policy interventions to address the challenges women face in the changing world of work, shaped by digital and climate transitions.
WS&RC Director Prof Vandana Upadhyay highlighted the activities of the centre and said that the WS&RC intends to introduce a one-year diploma course and a six months’ certificate course from the coming session. She expressed hope that in due the course of time the centre would be known in the Northeast for its academic activities.
The rapporteurs report was presented by Dr Kanchan Devi, teaching assistant at the centre.
The valedictory session was presided over by the vice-chancellor and attended by the registrar of the university.
During the seminar, experts deliberated on several important themes, such as climate change, indigenous knowledge systems and gender, women’s livelihood security and labour market inequality, gender wage gaps and employment disparities, women’s entrepreneurship, MSMEs and financial inclusion, employment quality and the gig economy, women’s work participation and time-use patterns, digital transformation and women-led enterprises, and regional perspectives on women’s employment in the Northeast.
The seminar brought together several experts from prominent institutions across the country, including the Mumbai School of Economics & Public Policy at the University of Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Centre for Women’s Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, DATS, Central University of Jharkhand, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Sambalpur University, Ambedkar University Delhi, Islamic University of Science & Technology, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Sibsagar University, Nagaland University, and the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women.
The participants also represented institutions, including the University of Calcutta, the University of Burdwan, the Centre for Economic and Social Studies, the Centre for Women’s Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, the Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society, and Gauhati University.
The seminar was attended also by a large number of young researchers and scholars, many of whom participated in dedicated sessions for young scholars and presented papers on women’s employment, migration, livelihood security, and regional disparities.
