A unique social network on parenting issues for women
Conceived in 2010, Mycity4kids.com, an online parenting network for women, endeavours to equip multitasking mothers in Indian towns and cities with information on nurturing kids.
Mycity4kids.com has today become one of the largest education and awareness platforms for parents in India. The initiative, since its inception, has witnessed an exponential growth in user engagement, acting as a social network particularly for thousands of women across many cities. This portal has become the go-to spot for women seeking information on parenting. The content here is available in several languages besides English, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. And it also boasts India’s first video channel for mothers, called Momspresso.
Speaking to Guardian 20 about this unique website, Vishal Gupta, co-founder and CEO, Mycity4kids.com, says, “We have always been associated with a number of initiatives for children while working for organizations like HUL, Asian Paints and Aviva. We were part of the team which conceptualised path- breaking initiatives in the children space. After working for 13 years and being a part of such initiatives, we felt a need for a platform for women where they can freely express their opinion on issues they face regularly. We decided to plunge into this domain in 2010, deeply convinced that we are addressing a social issue that most people have not touched. We wanted to become the indispensable mobile platform for today’s multitasking mom by giving her access to everything she needs in one place. Our platform facilitates the exchange of knowledge so that the job of parenting does not take away the joy of parenting.”
While India is moving towards being an inclusive society, women still face issues expressing themselves, especially when it comes to sensitive topics related to pregnancy and childbirth. There is a lack of general understanding of the physical, mental and social changes that a woman undergoes during and after the birth of a child, and Gupta’s website aims to change this state of affairs.
Gupta thinks that women need such platforms to share their views. He says, “Social issues like peer pressure to get your child in the best school, psychological changes that women go through after delivering a child are not discussed in families and society as a whole. Leaving a bright career or taking care of child alone are few of the many issues that are not discussed and are usually taken for granted. We provide a platform for everyone to connect and discuss women-centric issues. In fact, there are a lot of men who contribute to our platform and express their views on such topics. It has been a pleasant surprise to understand their point of view on issues faced by women that are generally not discussed openly.”
The discussions on these forums are often freewheeling. Gupta says, “We have an open platform and contributors are open to discuss any topic and issue they feel relevant. We have content for mothers right from the time they conceive to the time their child turns 14. It is a one-stop solution for all their parenting needs. We also provide valuable insight on women-centric issues in general. Our content is in the form of videos and blogs, both in English and vernacular languages.”
Gupta also believes more platforms like Mycity4kids will go a long way in contributing towards empowering women in our society. He says, “There should be multiple platforms starting from a woman’s own family, where she can express her opinion freely without any hesitation. Contribution of women towards a family, being a housewife or a working woman, should not only be recognised but also celebrated.”
Gupta says that he is overwhelmed by the kind of response this forum has generated. “We always believed that this platform is essential for the social cause of women empowerment. Today we have more than seven million women visiting the site every month. We have more than 4,000 bloggers and 30,000 blogs on issues that are generally not discussed but at the same time are socially very relevant for women.”
Now, Gupta is positive about expanding the reach of the website and is endeavouring to include more vernacular content. “We are confident of doubling our viewership to 15 million in 2017- 18 and provide even more quality content from diverse sources. Our idea is to be a unique platform to create social awareness about women-centric issues that are a no-go area in our society today. We want to expand our reach by increasing content in other regional languages that will allow us to reach out to smaller cities and town. We also want to increase the video content as the market for video is increasing exponentially,” concludes Gupta.
“We wanted to become the indispensable mobile platform for today’s multitasking mom by giving her access to everything she needs in one place. Our platform facilitates the exchange of knowledge so that the job of parenting equals the joy of parenting.”