The ET Women's Forum is a prominent event that brings together influential voices and leaders in India to champion women's empowerment. The forum serves as a platform for dialogue, learning, and networking, with the goal of empowering women to play a greater role in India's growth story. The discussions encompass a wide array of topics, ranging from gender equality in sports and films to politics, work, and life.

At these forums, frontrunners from diverse fields, including politics, science, business, sports, and the arts, share their perspectives, ideas, and personal stories. These discussions often highlight the need for a supportive ecosystem to retain women in the workforce, address gender pay gaps, and break the glass ceiling.

Several key themes and topics have emerged from recent women's forums:

Gender Equality and Empowerment: A central theme revolves around advancing women's empowerment and gender equality across various sectors. Discussions often focus on the importance of education, leadership opportunities, and addressing systemic obstacles that women face in both public and private leadership roles. The Commonwealth Women's Forum (CWF), for example, aims to explore and share critical challenges and opportunities to advance women's empowerment and gender equality.

Safe and Inclusive Workplaces: Creating safe and trustworthy workplaces is another critical area of focus. Statistics reveal that a significant percentage of workers have witnessed sexist behavior, and many women report experiencing gender-based disadvantages, including unequal pay and difficulty accessing male-dominated roles. Forums address the complexity of violence in the workplace and advocate for safe and supportive environments where individuals feel comfortable discussing mental health and reporting harassment without fear of judgment.

Women in Leadership and Decision-Making: Forums emphasize the importance of women's inclusion in leadership positions and decision-making processes. Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in global diplomacy and various fields. Feminist diplomacy seeks to promote women's inclusion and foster cooperation and peace. Discussions also highlight the need to support women in leadership and include their perspectives in all peace and security efforts.

Financial Independence and Economic Empowerment: Economic empowerment is a key aspect of gender equality. Forums explore challenges and opportunities for women entrepreneurs, including access to finance and operating in the circular economy. Mobile money is recognized as a tool for economic empowerment, but barriers such as lack of access to mobile phones, digital skills, and online safety need to be addressed.

Women in STEM: The Women and Girls in STEM Forum focuses on empowering women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The forum addresses gender bias in AI and provides a platform for students to present innovative concepts for AI solutions to reduce gender inequalities.

Self-Care and Well-being: Recognizing the importance of self-care, some forums emphasize empowering women to prioritize their well-being. This includes discussions on mental health, work-life balance, and strategies for managing stress and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Addressing Inequalities: Forums shed light on the persistent inequalities that women face in various aspects of life. The Women's Forum Barometer reveals that a significant percentage of active people have witnessed sexist behaviors in the workplace. Moreover, women report experiencing workplace behaviors that put them at a disadvantage compared to their male colleagues. These inequalities are also reflected in management positions, which remain far from achieving parity. The forum also highlights that women are still too rarely listened to during their medical consultations.

These forums serve as crucial platforms for driving change, fostering unity, and creating a more equitable future for women across all spheres of life. By bringing together diverse voices, sharing insights, and promoting collaboration, these events contribute to advancing gender equality and empowering women to reach their full potential.