Breakthrough’s three-day summit in New Delhi brought together 70+ speakers and 400+ attendees to explore what it will take for women to enter, stay and thrive in the workforce
New Delhi | Sept 12: India’s economic future depends on more than just getting women into the workforce; it depends on transforming the systems, workplaces and social norms that determine whether they can stay, lead and thrive.
This was the central message reinforced at Reframe 2026: Reimagining India’s Future – Equal Participation of Women in the Workforce, Breakthrough’s annual flagship summit, which concluded on September 10 at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
Held from September 8–10, the third edition of Reframe brought together over 400+ attendees and 70+ speakers across policy, industry leaders, philanthropists, civil society organisations, academics, media professionals and young changemakers to examine the invisible gender norms shaping women’s economic participation.
“Reframe 2026 made it clear that women’s workforce participation cannot be addressed by asking women to change alone. The conversations across policy, business, philanthropy, media and civil society showed us that the barriers women face are deeply connected to the systems and norms around them, from care and mobility to workplace culture, leadership and the expectations placed on men and women. Today, girls and young women are already negotiating hard for their futures, particularly in rural India. Our responsibility is to back them, help them dream and ensure that the systems they enter are ready to support them. India has spent decades preparing women for work; now we need to prepare our workplaces and society for women. Gender norms are not a side conversation to economic growth — they are the growth story,” said Nayana Chowdhury, CEO, Breakthrough.
“Why should women hold all the care responsibilities? It’s a shared responsibility of the husband, the state, and the law.” said Dr. Fauzia Khan, Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha at her panel in Reframe.
FROM PARTICIPATION TO POWER
Across three days of conversations, panels and workshops, Reframe 2026 explored women’s workforce participation beyond an employment challenge and as a question of power, infrastructure, culture and choice. Leading the conversation across the three days was a cross-sector group of speakers working on the ground and towards policies, systems and narratives that shape women’s economic participation; Ms Anna Roy, Program Director, NITI Aayog, Mission Director, WEP || Priya Ramani, Journalist || Namita Bhandare, Senior Journalist || Aditi Mittal, Standup Comedian, Writer & Actor || Shrayana Bhattacharya, Senior Economist, World Bank and Author || Nisha Dhawan, President & CEO, EMpower || Dr. Ankur Garg, PATH, Senior Programme Officer, Family Health || Dilip Pattubala, Centre for Men & Boys, Co-Founder || Dr. Aparna Hegde, Founder, ARMMAN || Dolon Ganguly, Chief Functionary, Azad Foundation, among others; visit this link for the full speaker line-up: https://inbreakthrough.org/breakthrough-reframe-2026/
The summit opened with a high-level plenary featuring Dr. Fauzia Khan (Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha), Smt. Vandana Chavan (Hon’ble Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Former Mayor of Pune, and Founder of Pune Climate Warriors), and Dr. Renu Swarup (Hon’ble Former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India). Moderated by Anand Sinha (South Asia Advisor, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation), the panel looked beyond standard workplace policies to dissect the invisible gender norms and systemic gatekeeping that limit women’s economic participation across India. Drawing from their diverse leadership trajectories in governance, environmental policy, and sciences, the speakers highlighted how institutional environments frequently treat women’s careers as auxiliary rather than central. They emphasised that addressing low workforce numbers requires a shift away from protective or paternalistic tracking toward deliberate, structural cross-sectoral collaboration.
The role of digital spaces in shaping aspirations and gender norms was also explored through a conversation on “Online Inspirations, Offline Aspirations: Influencing the Gender Algorithms of our Lives.” This session was a crowd favourite, examining how digital content can reinforce or challenge gender stereotypes and influence how young people understand gender, work and what is possible for their futures. It highlighted the need to recognise digital platforms as important spaces where social norms are learnt, questioned and reshaped.
Breakthrough also released insights from “What Makes Work, Work for Her” listening exercise on retention and workplace barriers. The survey of over 1400 women from urban and rural locations in India uncovered what helps them stay in work, what helps them thrive and what pushes them out. Their voices will shape an inclusive framework for women-centreted work. Visit these links for more information: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdEKHcwGLK-/?stkn=aHN0cmkxaGlmb2w4 || https://lnkd.in/p/ghpyDfN
The second half of Day 1 featured panels on gender-transformative education as a pathway to work and the role of donors in women’s economic empowerment. Closed-door roundtable discussions were also held in parallel with women entrepreneurs, and CSR and corporate leaders.
Day 2 turned to the structural conditions that shape women’s ability to participate in the economy. Discussions on safe public spaces, mobility and economic empowerment highlighted how access to affordable transport, safety and freedom of movement continue to influence women’s participation in economic and public life. Speakers emphasised that shifting these norms requires sustained and cross-sectoral action.
The summit also examined maternal and child health as an economic imperative, calling for reproductive health conversations to include partners and families, greater engagement of men as allies, and healthcare systems that place women’s health and choices at the centre.
Another key conversation examined masculinity and women’s economic participation, challenging the idea that gender equality is a conversation that only concerns women. Discussions explored how decision-making power, care responsibilities and workplace culture are shaped by expectations of masculinity, while also considering the influence of digital spaces on young men and boys.
Towards the end of Day 2, Richa Chadha (Actor and Producer), Aparna Purohit (CEO, Aamir Khan Productions), and Smriti Kiran (Creator and Producer) dissected the economic realities and systemic gatekeeping of the media industry. The panel highlighted how room dynamics shift defensively when women participate during discussions around green lighting projects, stories, representation and budgets. To dismantle this gatekeeping, they argued that women must occupy ultimate positions of financial influence, actively writing the cheques and controlling budgets rather than just executing creative vision.
To retain women in the system, the panel urged a shift from informal industry habits to institutionalisation. This requires building robust care infrastructure, including standardized shift hours and on-set childcare, etc. to transform media into a sustainable, equitable workspace.
The second day of the summit concluded on a high note with a sharp, engaging standup comedy act by Aditi Mittal.
CHANGING WORKPLACES, CHANGING NORMS
The role of institutions emerged as a recurring theme throughout the summit. Discussions on inclusive workplaces focused on what organisations can do beyond gender training: invest in care infrastructure, rethink maternity and paternity support, enable flexibility and mobility, increase the visibility of women leaders and build accountability into organisational culture. The message was clear – inclusion cannot be a standalone initiative. It needs to be embedded into how systems operate and experienced as part of everyday working life.
FROM CONVERSATION TO ACTION
Reframe 2026 concluded with collaborative workshops focused on building inclusive workplaces, scaling gender-transformative education, engaging young people, evaluating gender norm change, digital integration into ongoing programmes and impactful storytelling. The workshops brought participants together in a spirit of collaboration, reflecting on the conversations of the past two days and translating key takeaways into ideas for action. There was a shared sense that while the challenges ahead are complex, meaningful change is possible when people across sectors come together to question existing systems, challenge norms and build new pathways for a more equal future.
At its heart, Reframe sought to shift the conversation from asking how women can adapt to existing systems to asking how systems themselves must change. Gender norms are at the centre of the economic story. They can no longer be the footnote.
Reframe is scheduled to take place again next year from the 7th-9th September 2027.