The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impeded advancements made towards gender equality within the country. COVID-19 has undoubtedly widened the already existing gender inequalities in the country. Building better amid the pandemic requires concerted efforts from all stakeholders, including the government, private sector, public sector undertakings and non profits. 

Corporate social responsibility backing to NGOs  is one of the key drivers that can be used to make advancement towards attaining gender equality and bridging the gaps exacerbated by the pandemic. Listed below are few avenues where nonprofits and corporations can partner and mobilise resources for attaining gender equality.

• Reskilling/Upskilling: India Inc. can forge alliances or partnerships with CSOs with experience in vocational training, and undertake skill development programmes for the women from the vulnerable sections of the society. Corporations can also partner with women Self Help Groups and implement training programmes for reskilling/upskilling women in rural areas. Such programmes can enable and empower them with necessary skills for increased employability.
• Aiding Digital Education: Girls from the marginalised or disadvantaged groups have been gravely affected due to the shutdown of the schools. Lack of resources has stopped them from adopting the new model of digital education. This has resulted in increased school dropouts and crippled their chances of joining the workforce in the future. Corporations can extend their resources and aid them by providing devices to access the internet, or can set up computer labs in partnership with CSOs and build an enabling environment for them.
• Livelihood Promotion Programmes: Self Help Groups have been a bulwark to women from the disadvantaged groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. India Inc. can partner with self help groups and leverage their extensive reach to implement livelihood promotion programmes for women. For example, corporations can partner with SHGs extensively working in tribal areas and execute programmes that target at improving market linkages for products made by tribal women.
• Entrepreneurship Programmes for Women: COVID-19 outbreak adversely affected the jobs of women in the unorganised sector and left them with no job and zero security net. Corporations can undertake rehabilitation projects for such women, for example, with the help of implementation partners, companies can set up a portal/platform or unit for women cooks who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, from where they can sell their cooked meals. Corporations can aid them by providing training for marketing needs, resources for setting up or packaging needs etc.
• Promoting Digital Literacy & Financial Inclusion: Corporations can invest in programmes that aim at promoting digital literacy among women which increase their chances of employment. Corporations can also promote the cause of financial literacy and inclusion to reduce inequalities faced by women in socially and economically backward sections of society. These can be conducted singly or in conjunction with existing Government initiatives and schemes.