Do you choose to work?
The Foundation for Working Women (TFWW) envisions a world where it is natural and easy for women to be at work, if they choose. It will be launched by former Delhi CM, Sheila Dikshit, at an open event at the India International Centre on March 8. With ideas including the Mother Dairy Model of childcare and elder care, TFWW will use a mix of its own groundbreaking research, policy initiatives and public-private partnership infrastructure development to push the agenda. HT ShineJobs spoke with co-founder, Anuradha Das, who is also publisher and founder director, 9.9 Media, a niche media company offering knowledge and insights to targeted consumers, business and professional communities.
Why did you feel the need to set up such a forum?
In my view, women have been the biggest transformation of the last decade – the way they think, live and work – everything has changed. Sadly, nothing has been able to keep pace – not families, not employers, not government, and not society. And something has to give to accommodate this tectonic shift.
Specifically, the reasons are, one, because, as I look around, it seemed to me that too few women work, and I couldn’t tell whether that was my perception or a reality. I also didn’t know whether it was choice or compulsion. Second, I am writing a book called What I Would Tell My Daughter based on interviews of professional women. And across the board, they seem to say that the first piece of advice they would give their daughters is ‘be financially independent’. But if financial independence is so important, then why aren’t women at work more pervasive? Third, the number of women in higher education has been growing and for the first time last year, women’s enrollment in higher education exceeded that for men. But their participation in the workforce has actually fallen! So women were being educated – but were not staying in the workforce. Which meant that the focus on education wasn’t translating into empowerment. Fourth, the government of India only recognises women as victims or severely underprivileged citizens who need to be rescued – whereas we believe women are an asset with immense potential to contribute. Where is the space in public policy to recognise women as an asset? And finally, what can we do to make it easier for women to be at work – if that is indeed their ‘real’ choice.
What do you hope to achieve?
Our purpose is to bring these issue centre-stage. Make it easier for them to ‘live their choice to work’ – reduce the trade-offs they face by being working women and over a period of time create an environment that genuinely feels less burdensome. Create the support infrastructure that is one of the biggest limitations for women to stay in the workforce and then tackle mindsets.