Working Towards Bringing Mothers Back To The Workforce

The percentage of Indian women engaged in the workforce is abysmally low. Only 1 in 5 women in India are reportedly in the workforce. Familial responsibilities, child care and odd working hours at workplaces are various factors that hold them back from building their careers. The pertinent question that now arises is how to bring this important segment of society back to workforce.

SheThePeople.TV is a partner to this effort

JobsForHer, an online portal for recruitment of women on a career break, recently organised an event MentorForHer Roadshow in Gurugram, Haryana in partnership with SheThePeople.TV. Aimed at motivating mothers, it was an effort to help them reclaim the career that they once championed. Mentors interacted with their mentees to discuss the obstacles they are facing while taking the plunge followed by chalking out a plan that is best suited to their interests.

Mothers as future stakeholders

Prashant Sinha, COO of MyCity4kids, present there said a lot of organisations are trying to rope in mothers for different positions. He feels that their diverse set of experiences add a lot of value to companies and organisations. "Mothers are really perceptive in that sense and can help companies flourish." His company facilitates the parental journey by keeping parents updated about a comprehensive listings of products and services for children. "We are currently working on our videos and vernacular", he adds.

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OPPORTUNITIES

Sakshi Bansal, a mentee present at the event talked to SheThePeople.TV about using such events for networking. "This is a great platform to share thoughts and know about new opportunities. It is only when we attend such events that we realize that a lot of women share the same problems and we are not alone in the journey."

Shruti Kalra, another mentee present there, sheds light on the importance of job satisfaction that women look for. "I am looking for a job where my grey cells are continuously challenged and growing. The person's intellectual growth should never stop. ".She also talked about the important factor of work-life balance that women should take in consideration while looking for a job.

Shaili Chopra, founder of SheThePeople.TV says it's time more women come out and support other women. "That truly can be a gamechanger. We need more and more efforts to emphasise the need for networks and work from home opportunities."

WORK FROM HOME

Highlighting the emerging trend of working from home prevalent these days, Ruchita Taneja, Vice President - Business at Paytm, tells SheThePeople.TV that in her company, she has both men and women working from home. She asserts that it is not only the women who should have the flexibility of working from home. Men too, have their familial commitments. Ruchita also shares that the productivity of her employees increases manifold when they work from home.

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Ruchita Taneja with one of her mentees

SOLUTION ORIENTED

Rajat Vashishtha, Founder and CEO of Get Set Resume mentions how changing  or redesigning resumes can benefit women looking forward to get back to work after a career break. He asserts that tweaking resumes a bit works wonders in helping women get employed again.

Anant Shrivastava, Marketing Lead at KLAY Schools, stresses on the importance of day care centers that encourage women to find jobs while they look after their little one's well being.

"We organize a lot of events revolving around parenting and compelling women to get back to work as soon as possible. Our day care centers take care of their children.It is important for the kids to see an environment where both their parents work. This will help the child do away with gender roles whole growing up."

He further adds that a lot of activities are held for students who stay back after their normal day schooling gets over. This keeps their children engaged and helps women to advance their careers.

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