UN Women India Country Representative launches thriWe

A new chapter in India’s gender equity movement began today with the launch of thriWe – The Hub for Research and Innovation on Women’s Equity, an independent think-tank committed to furthering the cause of women’s equity through evidence-based research, and policy advocacy.

The event, held in Delhi, brought together leading voices from the worlds of women empowerment and policy. Kanta Singh, Country Representative, UN Women India; Dr. Sasmit Patra, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and Dr. Archana Singh, Consultant, Child Protection, UNICEF India; The launch was marked by a thought-provoking sequence of speeches, performances, under the theme “When Women Rise, Society Thrives.”

Kanta Singh, in her keynote address, applauded thriWe’s creation as and called for more such initiatives for women’s equity. She said that we are at a crucial juncture with many successes, and many challenges. She said whether it is STEM education or civil aviation, we are seeing increased participation of girls and women. However, there still is a lot to do, she added.

She particularly emphasised the need to further increase women participation in the labour force and representation in political leadership. She called for training women leaders ahead of the 2029 elections and implementation of Women’s reservation in the Parliament.

She also highlighted the need for putting in more efforts to ensure women safety in homes, roads and at workplaces. She also highlighted that ownership of property perpetuates inequalities. When the resources are so unequally divided between men and women, women cannot compete whatever, however competent they are, she added. She also highlighted that globally, about 87 percent of land ownership lies with men.

Dr. Sasmit Patra, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, delivered a candid reflection on the Women’s Reservation Bill and gender politics in India. He shared that his first and last interventions in Parliament were on this Bill, calling gender equity “a lifelong cause worth championing.” Dr. Patra remarked: “We don’t perhaps need symmetry; we need balance. When women thrive, society doesn’t just become equal-it becomes whole.”

He also acknowledged the intersection of gender and childhood, highlighting that 75–80% of child abuse cases involve known perpetrators.

In his welcome address, Pratyush described thriWe as a place which will be home to changemakers and researchers on women’s equity. He said that thriWe is a creative rebellion against day-to-day discrimination against women, which will strive to contribute to the cause of women’s equity through research, innovation and advocacy.

He added that equity is not charity, but a very selfish act aimed at our own progress, citing data from the World Bank, WEF, and Cardiff University linking women’s participation to higher GDP and innovation rates.

He also cited the works and lives of feminist icons from Virginia Wolf to SavitriBai Phule as inspiration behind thriWe and said that thriWe happens when feminism meets institution, Dr. Archana Singh, Consultant, UNICEF India, closed the session with an engaging talk on the difference between equality and equity, using everyday examples-from office air conditioning to car crash test dummies, and aircraft luggage storage-to demonstrate the “male defaults” embedded in modern design. “Equality gives us the same shoes,” she said, “but equity gives us shoes that fit.”

She called on policymakers and innovators to redesign systems, algorithms, and workplaces to reflect female realities, not just male templates. A study report “Women’s Labour in the Digital Economy” based on research conducted by thriWe in collaboration with a gender researcher Tania Raturi was also released on the occasion. The study examines both the transformative potential and the critical challenges women face in India’s evolving digital economy.

The event also featured a slam poetry performance by Anupriya Sharma, session on “Voices from the Grassroots” by Naresh Chaudhary, Founder of Laadli parivaar, and a musical closing with The thriWe Song composed and performed by Hindustani Classical Singer Shivangi Bhardwaj.