Gender equality isn’t just a workplace discussion; it is a mindset that takes root in our homes long before it reaches the boardroom. India ranks 129th out of 146 in the 2024 Global Gender Gap Index, placing it among the bottom 20 countries. But this isn’t new, we have held this position consistently over the years. In 2021, India ranked 17th from the bottom among 156 nations, showing the lack of progress in reducing the gender gap.

While organisations focus on diversity and inclusion, the real transformation takes place when families raise boys and girls in the same manner, providing them with the same opportunities, giving them the same responsibilities, and supporting all their aspirations. Men play a crucial role as allies, and their involvement in ensuring gender parity from home is the first step toward lasting change.

Corporate leaders can implement gender-neutral policies, bring in diversity quotas, and promote women to leadership roles, but if the deep-seated biases are not challenged at home, the vicious cycle of inequality will continue. If a CEO advocates for equal pay but also expects his wife to manage all household responsibilities and take care of children at home, then this sends mixed signals. A father might encourage his daughter to pursue her dreams but if he simultaneously discourages his son from showing vulnerability then he is reinforcing outdated stereotypes.

Mindsets won’t change overnight at workplaces, but if change begins at home, it will automatically follow in the workplace. We can achieve true gender equality only when men start actively participating in parenting, household chores, and emotional caregiving, not as helpers, but as equals. A father changing diapers shouldn’t be called a “super dad”, he is just a dad doing the bare minimum. 

The way children are raised shapes their worldview. If a boy grows up seeing his father taking responsibility for cooking and cleaning, and making career sacrifices for the family just like his mother, then he will probably never question the concept of equality and shared responsibilities. Similarly, if a girl is raised in an environment where her dreams and ambitions are supported just as much as her brother’s, then she will not doubt her ability to lead and succeed. 

To sow the seeds of gender equality from the beginning:

-Rethink Gender Roles: Chores, responsibilities, and decision-making at home should not be divided on the basis of gender but rather on the capability and interest of the person.

-Encourage Emotional Expression: Boys should be allowed to express vulnerability and empathy; they should also be allowed to fail and to cry. 

-Lead by Example: Parents must model equality in their own relationships by showing children that caregiving, household management, and financial responsibility belong to both of them.

-Challenge Everyday Biases: From toys to books to media, parents must ensure their children consume content that reinforces equality instead of stereotypes.

For true gender parity, men must move beyond being passive supporters to active allies. This means that there should be equal parental leave and flexible work arrangements for both mothers and fathers. There are very few organisations in India which give paternity leave, but in order to encourage more fathers to take care of their children and support their wives, paternity leave should become a standard everywhere. Men should speak up in professional settings whenever they see any gender bias and encourage their partners and daughters to take up leadership roles and enter the male-dominated professions as well. Men’s voices matter and their support for women is what gives them strength at home and even at the workplace. 

If every home makes sure that there is gender equality from the beginning, we won’t need to wait for boardroom policies to enforce it. The workplace will naturally evolve when leaders emerge from households that have already embraced fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for all.

The goal is not just to create a world where women succeed despite barriers, but a world where those barriers never exist in the first place. And that change starts at home. 

Joyshree Das Verma – President of FICCI Ladies Organisation – is Guest Editor for Sustainability Karma’s IWD 2025 Special Edition. She is also Co-Promoter & Director of Kaapro Management Solutions.