6 Indian Women Who Shattered The Toxic Job Stereotypes

Society has divided the job roles for different genders. Roles related to strength and calibre are often categorised as a 'man's job' while women are expected to take up more homely and comfortable roles. However, these women showed how useless this division is.

It is often seen in society that women are told not to take up certain job roles or career choices because they are designated or reserved for males. For instance, jobs like bodybuilders, gym trainers, driving teachers, bouncers etc. are considered as a man's jobs and women are told not to take them up as a career. This pre-defined division of labour and job roles is misogynistic and absurd but has been a relevant part of society for ages. However, here are a few examples of women who decided not to conform to such baseless divisions and broke job stereotypes.

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6 Women Who Broke Job Stereotypes

Car Mechanic Poonam Singh

Meerut's Poonam Singh became India's first ITI-certified female car mechanic in 2016 after completing her automobile mechanic course and training. She worked at the Maruti Suzuki service workshop with an all-male mechanic staff and was inclined towards learning about machines and automobiles. Singh was also awarded with President's Award for being the first female mechanics student at ITI.

Bus Driver Pooja Devi

Pooja Devi. Credits: Twitter @DrJitenderSingh

Hailing from Kathua, Jammu And Kashmir, Pooja Devi is the state's first bus driver. She worked as a bus and truck driver in the past and recently started her own shop with financial aid. Her story was shared and acknowledged by many, including the Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh. Pooja Devi aspires to empower women like her and create a driver's union for females to support and encourage them.

Bouncer Mehrunisha Shaukat Ali

Mehrunisha Shaukat Ali. Picture Credit: India.com

35-years-old Mehrunisha Shaukat Ali is India's first women bouncer who has been handling tough spats in nightclubs since 2004. However, early in her career, she was treated more as a female guard rather than a bouncer. Society and her father were against her but she struggled hard to earn the title of a bouncer and has been honoured with many awards and is now an inspiration for young girls.

E-Rickshaw Driver Chanchal Sharma

Noida's 27-years-old Chanchal Sharma drives an e-rickshaw as her source of income with her 1-year-old son strapped to her chest. Juggling the financial and motherly responsibilities as a single mother, Sharma starts her day at 6;30 in the morning and her routine includes taking passenger trips and looking after her child's needs in-between hours. Her passengers appreciate her dedication as she is the only woman driver on that route.

Graduate Chaiwali Priyanka Gupta

Priyanka Gupta. Picture Credit: Priyanka Gupta Instagram

Shattering the toxic expectations of society of taking a 9-to-5 job, Priyanka Gupta decided to open her own tea shop after graduating with an Economics degree. She studied for the government exam but couldn't crack it. She didn't want to get married like other unemployed girls of her age and decided to become independent and started her own tea business and is now earning a handsome income.

Uber Driver Nandini

Recently a story of a female Uber driver from Bengaluru went viral on the internet for going to work with her daughter. Uber driver Nandini was seen at work in her Uber with her daughter sleeping in the passenger seat beside her. Nandini earlier opened her own food joint which was closed down during the pandemic after which she switched to driving Uber for income. Netizens praised her dedication and hard work.