Welcome to episode 10 of In Solidarity. Today, we are joined by Bhanupriya Rao, the founder and editor of BehanBox, an independent digital media startup for gender journalism established in 2019. With 13 years of experience in journalism, advocacy, research, and campaigns across Asia, Africa, and Europe, Bhanupriya has also worked as a governance and public policy specialist with organisations like ActionAid, Oxfam, and the World Wide Web Foundation. Before founding BehanBox, she reported on gender issues, women’s political participation, agrarian distress, migration, and climate change for leading digital publications such as IndiaSpend and Scroll.

In this episode, set against the backdrop of the country's elections, we explore how platforms like BehanBox act as inclusive media spaces and amplify female participation in national issues by mainstreaming gender journalism. We look at how journalistic pieces become powerful tools for change, acting as levellers for women by breaking down structural barriers and standing strong with their aspirations. This episode also offers valuable insights and guidance for our young listeners interested in pursuing careers in this vital field.

In this episode of In Solidarity, we're joined by Nalini Nayak, a SEWA leader from Kerala, India. With over three decades of experience organising informal women workers, Nalini Ben's journey and vision highlights SEWA’s commitment to creating empowering platforms. She has played a pivotal role in the fish workers movement in Kerala, in organising domestic and migrant workers and expanding SEWA's reach across India. Trained in social work at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Nalini Ben has collaborated with organisations like Protsahan Trivandrum, Mitraniketan Vagamon, and the Self-employed Women's Association - SEWA.

On this special episode marking International Women's Day, we talk to Nalini ben about her experiences building these movements of informal women workers. She talks to us about valuing care, work, women and their role in resource conservation and climate change and what we need from a macro policy environment to help support these collectives and communities.

Recent data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey, reveals a concerning trend. Despite some improvements in recent years, India's female labour force participation rate continues to remain alarmingly low. Why aren’t women participating in paid work? Or are we not counting them adequately?

To guide us through this exploration, we are honored to have with us today Dr. Ashwini Deshpande, a distinguished Professor of Economics and the Founding Director of the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis at Ashoka University, India. Through our podcast/conversation today, we aim to unravel the reasons behind the persistently low female labour participation rates, understand the root causes and explore a paradigm shift in how we perceive women’s work.