Changing career perceptions for Indian women

A woman working 8 hours a day in corporate is paid in thousands on average, while a woman working almost 8 hours at home gets paid nothing. 👉Is managing a house not working?  👉Does work done at home require no skills?  👉Is raising children and managing the elderly not a full-time job? It definitely is. But that's considered a mandatory thing to do and not a work that women do at home. As per reports, on average, women in India spend 7.2 hours a day cooking, cleaning, and caring for their household members (children, elderly, sick or disabled). I totally understand that women are the wheels for tomorrow's existence, and apart from the economic aspect, women are the torchbearers of social growth. However, the disproportionate responsibility of unpaid care work on women results in gender inequality and time poverty, which impacts their ability to progress. Now, by being vocal about shared responsibilities at home and equal participation of women in economic, social, and political sectors, we are advancing towards a more equal society. But to achieve this in the truest form, we need to give due respect for the unpaid care work that women do at large. The World Economic Forum report released in 2023 estimates that at the current rate of change, the gender gap in economic participation and opportunity will take 131 years to close. That's a massive gap, and we need to speed up. 3 changes I believe need to be brought out are: 1️⃣ Normalize men taking on an equal share of household and childcare duties. We can start teaching these values right from our home to our boys. 2️⃣ About 82% of the total number of working women in India are employed in the informal sector. Measures like minimum wage coverage, maternity leave, health insurance, and old age pension schemes should be worked on. 3️⃣ Speak up when we see or hear gender stereotypes that reinforce women's role as primary caregivers and men as breadwinners. Whether it's cooking, cleaning, or childcare - every work is "real work". While the gender gap may seem daunting, change starts with each of us speaking up in our daily lives and taking action to get 1% closer to our goal of gender equality. What are some ways you think we can increase the value of unpaid care work? #womenempowerment #unpaidwork #genderequality

Telling women to “choose between career and family” is not advice! 👩 A woman’s career is not a backup plan. It’s as important as a man’s career. Too often, women are taught to see their careers as negotiable as something they might keep if life allows it. But I believe that mindset is holding back not just women, but entire industries. As a scientist and researcher, my work depends on depth, focus, and consistency. I bring that same energy to my stance on female professional development. We can’t build strong research teams if we keep treating women’s contributions as temporary. We can’t expect breakthroughs if women are forced to choose between ambition and acceptance. What I believe : – Women don’t need permission to lead they need systems that stop punishing them when they do. – Career gaps aren’t weaknesses. They’re a reflection of broken support structures. – Identity includes work. For many of us, it’s how we create, lead, and contribute meaningfully to the world. The goal isn’t to give women more options. The goal is to stop treating their careers like they’re optional in the first place. If you believe in building spaces where women don’t have to choose, repost this. Because real inclusion starts with how we value identity and whose we recognize. ♻️ Follow Abhilasha Singh for more simplified insights on complex topics.

Phir Ziddi Hi Sahi was one of my favorite projects from last year, and as we rewatch episodes while programming Season 2, I can't help but share the major learnings I had from the episode with Dr Tanu Jain. Being a woman aiming for something extraordinary often comes with societal pressures, such as the pressure to get married or stay within certain boundaries. What I've learned is that it's crucial to stay true to your purpose and power through those expectations. 1) Your gender isn't a limitation; it's a strength. Navigating the professional landscape as a woman might invite skepticism about leadership abilities. Embracing the fact that being a woman doesn't make me a weaker leader but a more empathetic one allows for positive change through a unique perspective. 2) Women often experience feelings of guilt when prioritizing education or a career over getting married, as if they are burdening their parents. The solution lies in achieving financial independence, which breaks the cycle of guilt, empowers individuals, and transforms their relationships with parents into a source of pride. 3) When a woman has a position of power, she not only transforms her life but also reshapes societal perceptions. One woman's success becomes a catalyst for change, fostering a mindset shift that says, "If she can, so can others." And last but not the least being "Ziddi" is the hallmark of strong women. Embracing this ziddi spirit allows for becoming a force challenging norms and paving the way for others to follow. Watch our full conversation in the link below :)

Recently, I had an experience that truly moved me. After a long day at the hospital, I hopped into a BluSmart and was greeted by a woman behind the wheel. What she shared during our ride left me speechless. 𝗦𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻—𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 15, 13, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 7—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 recently. A year ago, she didn’t even know how to ride a bike. Now, just a few months into her new job with BluSmart, she’s found a way to provide for her family. Her day starts at 7 AM, and by 3 PM, she’s rushing home to be with her kids. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. She’s raising all three children on her own in Delhi, ever since her husband left her six years ago. One line she said really stuck with me: “𝗦𝗶𝗿, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗯. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.” (“Sir, mushkil toh har naukri mein aati hai, aapko handle karna aana chahiye”) Her journey began when she connected with Azad Foundation India, an organization that helps women like her learn to drive and secure jobs at companies like Zomato, BluSmart, and Uber. She was so humble when sharing her story, even telling me it wasn’t as tough as what some of the other women had gone through. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻: “𝗬𝗲𝗵 𝘀𝗮𝗯 𝗯𝗮𝗸𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗶, 𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗸𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗶 𝗻𝗮𝗵𝗶 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶. 𝗧𝘂𝗺𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗵𝗶 𝗵𝗼𝗴𝗮” 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 ("This all is useless, women dont drive taxis. You wont be able to do it"). She told me about another woman she met at the foundation, who was being held back by her in-laws, who didn’t want her to learn driving either. But her response? “𝗨𝗻𝗸𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗹 𝗸𝗶 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗵𝗻𝗲 𝗷𝗮𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗶 𝗵𝘂𝗻. 𝗝𝗮𝗯 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯 𝘂𝗻𝗸𝗶 𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗮 𝗷𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗴𝗶.”(“Tell them you’re going to learn sewing. When you start earning money, they’ll change their tune.”). These women formed a support system for each other, which really touched me. 𝗦𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗯. 𝗦𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀—𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗯 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀. To this incredible woman and to organizations like Azad Foundation India Dolon Ganguly, which are empowering women and transforming lives—thank you. And a huge shout-out to BluSmart Anmol Jaggi, for creating a safe/supportive environment for women drivers. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. Dolon Ganguly Anmol Jaggi I'm curious to learn what can we do to get more women driving?

This is what good Indian women do. When I was in my early 20s, all of us were sold a story. The story of: - Growing up while learning cooking and all household chores. - Having an arranged marriage with the perfect one chosen for you. - Starting a family with that perfect one. - Maybe work (but be ready to quit for family) That was what society planned for me. That's what a "good Indian woman" was supposed to do. But guess what? I decided to write my own story. Instead of following that script: - I built a career that gives me financial freedom - I got promoted 4 times in 3 years to become a Director at University of Washington - I saved money and created passive income streams - I quit my 6-figure job to start my own business in USA - I chose to be both a mom and entrepreneur at the same time (Hello Mompreneurship!) - And yes, I buy my own jewelry! 💍 The best part? I'm helping other women break free from these old stories too. Every day, I work with women who are: - Stepping out of the "traditional role" box - Building careers they're proud of - Creating financial independence - Making their own choices You know what's fantastic? When you break one limiting belief, you start seeing all the other "rules" that were just stories someone else wrote for you. Here's what I learned: • Your dreams don't have to match society's expectations • Financial independence gives you the power to choose • You can be both a great mom and a successful leader • Traditional roles are suggestions, not rules • The best fairytale is the one you write yourself To every woman reading this: What old story are you ready to rewrite? #womenempowerment #careergrowth #indianwomenintech #mompreneurship