Women have been steadily entering the workplace in India since the 1990s. However, society has been slow to change its thinking.
By Dr Radha Rangarajan
I started my career as a scientist in the year 2000, after completing my PhD. Together with starting the job, I was also a new mother. Between juggling my research work in the laboratory and taking care of an infant, I was often an emotional wreck. I worried about my daughter’s care and wondered if I should quit my career. But I persevered and stayed in the workforce. It meant that over the next 15 years, high-quality childcare/after school care remained a constant need. It was often a tough balancing act and sometimes fraught with uncertainty. Sadly, two decades later, millions of families continue to grapple with the same issues as they juggle the responsibilities of earning a living and raising children.
When I look back at my experiences, many factors are worth taking into account. First, my husband saw himself as an equal partner and supported my aspirations to build a career. This meant that he was invested in the support systems that we created and we did not run into conflicts on financial or ideological grounds. Second, we had the support of our extended families on both sides who believed that both our careers mattered. Third, we were able to afford childcare and were lucky to find caregivers who loved our daughters like their own. This confluence of thought and action made it possible for my husband and I to work full time, even during the years when our children were very young. Many do not have the same support and the outcome, typically, is that the woman leaves the workforce.
Women have been steadily entering the workplace in India since the 1990s. However, society has been slow to change its thinking. Highly patriarchal societies such as ours have conditioned men to think that women are primary caregivers. In fact, so ingrained is this thought process that one of my employers once asked why they (employers) should worry about childcare when it only matters to women! The lack of joint ownership has a cascading effect on who, therefore, is responsible for the solution. It is the woman who bears the disproportionate burden and when systems break down, women are compelled to leave the workforce. This was illustrated over and over again during the pandemic. The data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) Consumer Pyramids Household Survey shows that the urban female labour participation rate fell to 6.9% by November 2020 compared to 9.7% in 2019-20. Moreover, individuals solving the problem one at a time leaves the collective need for childcare unquantified and the burden on women is swept under the carpet. The impact of losing female talent in the workforce also remains undocumented and unmeasured.
As a society, if we are serious about raising our children in a safe and loving environment, the articulation of childcare as women’s work has to change. This means raising sons differently, sensitizing men and questioning biases as employers, co-workers and leaders. Nothing hurts more than being told that one cannot achieve something because of one’s gender. By the same token, women with young children may need empathy, mentoring and encouragement to get through the tough phases. According to a 2018 study titled “Predicament of Returning Mothers” by the Genpact Centre for Women’s leadership at Ashoka University, 73% of women leave their jobs after giving birth! Given these numbers, accommodation of women’s constraints, especially in the early child-rearing phase, should not be seen as a favour. It is a collective responsibility.
In parallel, systemic changes are very necessary. Finding childcare options must become simpler and more affordable. The number of childcare centres needs to increase dramatically. Regulations must be in place to ensure a high quality of care. A combination of tax credits, Government subsidies and public-private partnerships must be put to work to ease the burden on families. Scandinavian countries are often cited as having the best maternity and childcare benefits. The cornerstone of their policies is the emphasis on universal access. In Sweden, for example, the high quality and affordability of childcare mean that 85% of children under the age of 5 attend pre-school. Thus, the state must play a role in providing solutions for families of all socio-economic strata. While services do not need to be free, the quality needs to be uniform.
One of the most effective childcare strategies, in my opinion, is care at the place of work. A handful of companies and Government agencies provide this but most others do not want to. They see it as a cost to the company and a source of liability. What they do not realize is that parents are much better employees when their children are well taken care of. In fact, enabling childcare for their employees is the surest way to ensure loyalty, reduce attrition, improve productivity and promote diversity. What’s to lose!
As one more Women’s Day is celebrated and the achievements of women are counted, let us recognize that there is much more to do. We must commit to addressing the fundamental need for affordable childcare. It is not just a woman’s issue.
(The author is Chief Technology Officer at HealthCubed, a medical devices company. Views expressed are personal.)
