India’s Growth And Dynamism Reflected In Progress For Women, Says Gargee Ghosh

Gargee Ghosh, who oversees government affairs, economic policy, advocacy, and philanthropic partnerships to support the goals of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation across the world, in an exclusive conversation with BW Businessworld, shares her journey at the Foundation, its initiatives in promoting overall gender development and equity and the strides that India has made in recent years on the women empowerment front.

You have had an exemplary career spanning over two decades. Tell us about your journey, what has been the driving force to get you where you are today?

My story began in India; my family is from West Bengal, and we emigrated to Canada in the 1960s, where I was born and raised. We grew up coming back to Calcutta, so from a very early age, I tried to understand the dynamics of poverty, wealth, and growth, and I knew my career would be in development. 

I trained as an economist, started life at the United Nations, and worked in the private sector for years before I joined a brand-new foundation that no one had really heard of in Seattle called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Being part of that organisation's growth over the last 20 years has been an incredible journey. I have not been there the whole time, but I have been there for over a decade. 

We started with a very simple proposition of Bill Gates, having amassed great wealth in his Microsoft career, committing with his family to give that back, particularly focused on the health and basic needs of the poorest around the world. We operate based on a belief that all lives have equal value, and how do we give people the ingredients to engage in economic life and thrive, that resonated for me in a deeply personal way.

In the last ten years, when you go on the ground, what is that change that you see, especially in the states where the Foundation's focus is prominent like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar?

In almost any ten years you come to India, you see incredible growth, change and dynamism. There are multiple ‘Indias,’ and in the past decades, what I have noticed is this incredible growth in digitalisation, commerce, entrepreneurship, and at the same time, steady growth and progress among the poorest. 

The government's commitment to universal ID, building on top of that payments system, was an incredible way of utilising top-level creativity and smarts of the Indian society for the benefit of everybody. Having that universal payment system in place during Covid allowed the government to ensure transfers of subsidies of rations in a much more effective way.

Bank accounts are in parity between men and women; we do not see that everywhere. There is still work to help women continue transacting in their bank accounts to start using insurance products and entrepreneurship loans, and that work has begun and will continue. I also see that dynamism in entrepreneurship. However, the VC world is still very male-dominated. You see more women entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and obviously, the representation in government is going up. So, across the board, the dynamism and growth one sees in India are also reflected in progress for women.

You mentioned some sectors which are still male dominated. If we talk about workplaces, what can be done to create that nurturing environment for women, given that diversity, equity inclusion has become an imperative business strategy?

It is incredible that we are now talking about bringing women into boards, executive leadership teams, and the workplace, not just because it is the right thing to do but also the smart thing. We know that female labour force participation is a driver of a country's economic growth, and data has suggested that women represented on boards make smarter business decisions because of the different perspective they bring. 

Sometimes it comes down to the basics in terms of participation, making sure companies provide not just maternity leave but a guaranteed return to work and facilities like rooms for lactation.

We can get better across the board everywhere on that. In this country, there will be a thought process of how we keep women in the labour force. As people become wealthier, women may choose to stay at home. How do we make it exciting and rewarding for women to choose to stay at work as well? I have two children myself; I would love to spend more time with them. And it is a constant struggle to find time to do everything.

At the foundation, what is the action plan that you put in place to eliminate certain biases at workplace?

At the foundation, we are really committed to both the basic practical steps and the cultural pieces. So, on the practical steps, to give you one example, our parental leave is available to both men and women. Because often, what you see in the workplace is a bias against hiring women at a certain age because they may go off and take maternity leave. So as a fix to that, we offer it to new fathers and new mothers to remove that potential for bias. 

On the cultural side, it is a constant work in progress. We can always do better at ensuring women are heard and that roles typically where women are overrepresented are treated equally in pay. As an executive, I spent a lot of effort ensuring we have pay equity and no systematic bias in hiring. And that is a constant effort.

In what ways do you envision top-down, bottom-up, and policy-driven collectives for women's empowerment?

India is a place where the power of self-help groups and collectives has been an incredible part of the story of progress, whether you think of the role of women coming together in villages to share information about safe birthing practices or collective loans. This has how women have found their voice strengthened and developed a sense of community which also helps them stay invested in their community. The strength of finding community also applies to me as an executive, as it is important to see yourself in role models to believe that you can sit in that role. I take great pleasure, and it is a privilege to mentor other women to build a sense of community among them.

What is one advice you can give to young women who are just starting their careers?

My advice is to find something you are passionate about. I think women spend a lot of energy doing what they think they should, and true success and happiness come when you do something you deeply care about. Whatever that is, finding and trying a few things may take a while but look for the thing that is truly your calling.