Across sectors, women’s cooperatives are facing a quiet but persistent challenge. As founding members age and leadership stabilises, fewer young women are entering cooperative enterprises. When pathways for younger women remain unclear, cooperatives risk losing continuity, energy, and future leadership.
Youth inclusion is therefore not only about numbers. It is about whether cooperative institutions can remain meaningful spaces of work, decision-making and aspiration for the next generation.
Experiences documented through the Srujan Pre-cooperative highlight both the possibilities and challenges of engaging young women workers within cooperative structures. Formed by urban young women, Srujan reflects how cooperatives can respond to changing work aspirations and skill profiles while building expectations around participation.
SEWA Cooperative Federation draws on such experiences to reflect on how cooperative institutions can remain open to generational change. This includes thinking about leadership transition, mentorship, and how younger women are introduced to governance and collective responsibility.
Youth inclusion is approached as an ongoing process shaped by learning from practice rather than fixed templates.
