Article part-II

Women in our country are still the primary caregivers of a family. Balancing work and the high demands of being a parent at times is overwhelming. Especially if you have to constantly prove that you are as serious about work as your male counterpart. The guilt and burden of it all leads to early burnout. We need to educate our employers about setting appropriate expectations. It doesn't mean less work, it just means work with empathy. We have to normalize maternity leaves and leaves for new dads to help out. An economy doesn't just grow through output but also through a happy and wholesome population. Having families and growing together lends to happiness at work too. Providing a conducive environment to work can increase their productivity and also support their well-being. We definitely need to stop comparing the two genders and understand the importance of women at work. Today, India has approximately a 50:50 women to men ratio. Welcoming our women into the workforce only doubles our force to be able to create more and do more. Doubling hands and the overall productivity of our economy. That definitely means there should be equal pay for equal work.

Let's talk about what we need to get done. The government is already pushing for education, but this needs to be done in a more serious and authoritative manner. The option to opt out shouldn't be an option. We need more enticing policies to promote women entrepreneurship alongside working. Enticing to the extent that families also feel the need to encourage their female members to step out and work. Be it tax benefits or ease in acquiring loans or easy in repayment schemes, women should be encouraged. While we are working on educating our women, we also need to work on educating employers and families on how to provide support to a working woman. If the environment is well set at work but unfair at home because expectations are not set correctly then their productivity and well-being is heavily compromised. We need to spread awareness about second careers and promote second chances. Women usually step out of their active careers to start families, get married and coming back to work after a sabbatical feels like a daunting experience. If we create provisions for them to do certain skill training programmes and we normalize the idea of second careers, they will surely feel encouraged to step back in the work environment, for these girls are the ready force that will require very little training to bring them up to speed, helping industries and offices up their productive teams at a very low cost.

There is much work to be done, but I can't say we aren't trying. If we realize the need and importance of women at work and in leadership roles, I am sure the scenario will change very quickly. The discussions to be held at current G20 W20 indicate that the policy makers care. Our government has been making an endeavour too. Now we as the leaders of this thriving economy need to step up as well. So that, we see a lot more Sania Mirzas, Priyanka Chopras, Indira Nooyis and Indira Gandhis. So the next time our capabilities are discussed, it's not because we are so few but because we are contributors too.