A recent survey says India has the maximum number of over-qualified and over-educated housewives. This is stifling the country's economic growth. Domestic responsibilities and lack of know-how of rebuilding careers after marriage and pregnancy are stopping women from making good use of their mental faculties. Recognising the need to empower married women and mothers, Latika Wadhwa started Mompreneur Circle in January this year.
The inception
"In my friend's circle, I saw that a lot of women had dropped their lucrative careers after getting married or post-motherhood. This reminded me how my mother too went through the same phase. I realized that this could be my future as well. There was no proper platform to help and support the womenfolk post-marriage," she tells us. And this is how she started Mompreneur Circle.
Technology as an empowering tool
This Delhi University alumna admits that Facebook is a boon for women looking for opportunities to connect and network. The feature of Facebook groups, she mentions, helped her kick off Mompreneur Circle.
"We, as women, tend to compromise ourselves for the sake of so many factors. We forget that if we are satisfied and happy, then we can make the people in the surroundings happy and satisfied."
Connecting across cities
"We currently have 17,000+ mothers and married women in the community. The numbers are increasing day by day." Latika tells us. She adds that a simply logging in from a smartphone on Facebook lets mothers sitting across various cities connect, discuss and empower each other.
Also: Why mother groups online are the lifeline for others
Activities to keep mothers connected
Mompreneur Circle organises a plethora of activities to engage the community.
"We have divided each day with a theme. Mondays are for bloggers and Tuesday for Women's Health. Wednesday is the day for expert live sessions where industry experts mentor women sitting in the comfort of their homes, offices, through live chats. On Thursdays, we talk about women's travel, food and share interesting recipes. Fridays are for book lovers, authors, budding writers."
She adds that weekends are reserved for a Flea Market for those members who are running their own ventures.
Platform for guidance
The platform also helps women who are looking to restart their jobs, either either full-time/work from home/ part-time. Besides this, discussions and guidance keep happening throughout the week.
The community believes in letting women get their hair down by adding a dash of adventure. Therefore, they organise fun-filled giveaways, contests, campaigns to keep the members high in spirit.
Also Read: How Neha Kare Is Using Social Media To Connect Moms In Mumbai
"We, as women, tend to compromise ourselves for the sake of so many factors. Also, we forget that if we are satisfied and happy, only then can we make the people in the surroundings happy and satisfied," she reiterates.
Latika believes such social groups help boost women's confidence and encourage and inspire the mothers. Moreover, it makes them build networks which is necessary to have a successful business.