Speaking in one voice

Women in India reveal the price India ‘— and its economy’— is paying in not providing the right conditions for work and safety.

Indu Bhandari, 39, lives in Noida, a suburb east of Delhi. Worked for corporations for more than a decade and was in the United States before returning to India. ‘I was first abused as a three-year-old by a man who worked at our home. When I was six years old, my father’s colleague abused me,’ she says. Why she gave up a well-paid freelance gig: ‘I had to use public transport for part of my travel. There was no separate compartment for women. I tried to brave it for three months or so. But then decided I’d had enough. I now teach at a school. There are thousands of mothers who like me are working in schools in spite of being qualified to do so many other things.’ Sajna Nair, 42, Delhi. ‘Given the reported and unreported but whispered stories of abuse and neglect, I remember doing things like requesting neighbours or friends to drop in unannounced to check on my child. But it became tough to balance this paranoia. I simply quit. ‘And of course, companies have lost the money they invested in training me.’ Vidya Laxman, 45, Bengaluru. ‘I’m a marathon runner but I don’t run early mornings or late evenings. I wait until it’s fully light. When I take an Uber, I always get off a little distance off and walk home. I don’t want the driver to find out where I live. Career-wise, I’ve made big compromises. I only considered offers from product based companies and deliberately ignored roles in services companies because of the insane travel involved. Companies need to partner with the government and civic agencies on women’s safety. There are many women who drop off the work force because of the late hours and the safety aspect. We are letting those women down. We have to find a way.’ Monika Ghosh, 40, in Noida. ‘A woman with no support systems has limited choices. If there were systems to protect me, things would have been so much easier. If there were jobs, creches, safe roads. I now work at a home in a gated community and make about Rs12,000 a month. But I could earn up to Rs20,000 if I stay full time or at least till 8 pm. The reason why I can’t is because the place where I work has no buses or safe transport.’ Zeba, 25, works in Madanpur Khadar, a low-income settlement on Delhi’s outskirts. ‘I don’t want to depend on anyone for my finances — not on my husband or on my brothers. I want a career in nursing because you can also go abroad. Earlier this year, I had found a course in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. I had managed to convince my family. We filled the admission forms. Then last month, there was a rape in Dadri. Now my brothers have put their foot down. They say it’s too unsafe. People keep saying things are getting worse. And I think they are.’

In India, preference for male children has skewed the gender balance, leading to a whopping 37 million more men than women. Two-thirds of the country live in villages that follow feudal, caste and gender hierarchies.