CRED founder Kunal Shah made a powerful statement on gender and economics, saying, “Countries with low financial independence for women often have low divorce rates-not because of happy marriages.” In an interview with Forbes India, Shah pointed out that India has one of the lowest female labour participation rates. After observing China's workplaces, where women outnumbered men in meetings, he began researching India’s workforce.

He emphasized that a country cannot grow on a single-gender income. Financial dependency creates skewed family dynamics and restricts per capita income growth. Shah explained how male-dominated households concentrate their spending only on core needs, stalling broader economic activity.

His takeaway? Prosperity can’t come when half the population isn’t financially empowered. He believes that empowering women economically isn’t just a social need-it’s an economic strategy for national growth.