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Changing trends in the female workforce, how it can be harnessed for better growth.

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Essay Contest for UPSC Exam for IAS

Demographically women constitute half the populace of our country. In such a scenario, to bring about a turn around in the Indian economy towards higher inclusive growth women must give their best efforts in the workforce. This is solely because of the fact that, as a person cannot stand and walk forward on one foot, so does; any economy cannot sustain and march ahead towards positive growth without the active involvement of its female workforce. In this regard our Indian economy is no exception. Therefore, in our quest towards a developed economy the Indian economy can prosper, if and only if, the female workforce gets equal opportunity of putting their foot forward and thereby marching ahead in their life.

          It is in this backdrop that, we need to ponder the changing trends of the female workforce and how it can be harnessed for a better growth. Here is a small introspection and analysis in this regard---  

Changing trends in the female workforce

Firstly, the first and the pivotal change that has been observed in the female workforce is that, females of the present times have come out of the barriers of Chulla-Chakki (the boundaries of kitchen and household works) and resultantly have tried to give their best efforts to contribute to the nation’s economy. In this regard, it is worthwhile pointing out that, the female workforce today has been marching shoulder to shoulder and consequently they are in no way inferior in comparison to their male counterpart.

Secondly, gone are the days when girls used to be married off mostly at their early teens and subsequently she has to face the bondage of household works. In such a scenario, their life was staggered within the four walls of their house. Now, things are changing  as at the present times young girls along with their parents tries their best at least to get a bachelors degree and then apply their mind in the various avenues of employment in the organized or in the unorganized sectors of the Indian economy. Resultantly, child marriage and its associated lacunas have become the order of the past.

Thirdly, women today have enriched their lives by exploring the new and exceptional domains of lives. This can be aptly proved by the fact that, women of the present times are showing their talent in sports, music, army,  paramilitary, space science, missile technology to name a few in this regard. Earlier, most of the domains of the workforce were used to be the exclusive privilege of the male sex. Now, things are changing for the better as women are making their presence felt in the various arenas of the workforce. As a result, it has been quite evident in the Indian economy that women are excelling and showing their perfection in almost all the sectors of the Indian economy.

Fourthly, it is also true that, marriage, conjugal life visa-vies child bearing are an integral part of a female’s life. The same is no exception for the Indian female workforce. Yes, marriage and conjugal life can be shared by male and the female sex. On the other hand, child bearing is the exclusive domain of the female sex. Therefore, for the female work force the process of child bearing must be accompanied by care and protection by their household and their employers. In this regard, women of our society are showing their might and their worthiness by giving their best to both their work as well as to child bearing and child rearing. The female workforce so far as child bearing is concerned gets proper social security in their jobs as they can avail maternity leave, child care leave to name a few in this regard. Women workforce today has in spite of all the turmoil’s of life has certainly come over all these barriers and has been marching ahead in their professional careers.

Last but not the least, women today has broken most of the barriers or shackles of the prevalent age-old patriarchal set up and has to a large extent been able to neutralize most of the barriers as coming in their professional life. Women today never hesitate to work as a co-worker with the male sex. Therefore, in the long run women of the Indian society has prospered and thereby they have occupied many high posts in their professional life. Here names like former world boxing champion Mary Kom, the current honorable president of India, Mrs Draupadi Murmu, missile women of India Dr. Tessy Thomas are a few among the many to name out in this regard. Women of the present time are thus flourishing and showing their excellence in the workforce. Therefore, all the above mentioned facts are a pointer towards the fact of positive development, as far as, women workforce is concerned.  

How female workforce can be harnessed for a better growth---

          As far as harnessing female workforce for a better growth is concerned, the following few points can be considered in this regard:-

Firstly, for a better growth the policy makers of our country must make such policies whereby the female workforce feels that their hopes and desires have been taken consideration of. In this regard, female centric policies like providing equal career growth policies, equal pay for equal work(in the unorganized sector like tea plantation, agricultural works as promoted by the government of India it is seen that, males are paid more than females in most of the cases) must be encouraged. Therefore, parity in work conditions and remunerations between the male and the female work force must become the order of the day.

Secondly, the male work force must treat the female work force as equal colleagues or companion. Mostly, at the present times the male bosses try to exploit the female workers in the work place. This exploitation for the female workforce takes the form of physical, emotional and sexual exploitation. Acts like ‘ The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013’ is an eye opener in this regard so far as sexual exploitation of women at work place is concerned.Women’s work and their efforts at work place must be harnessed for a better growth.

Thirdly, it should be the motto of each and every organization of the country to promote such policies whereby, the women workforce is promoted to give their best and subsequently prosper and excel in their career. Women centric policies like giving the facilities of crèche in the work place for their kids as well as giving nutrious foods for both the female workers and their kids should certainly be welcomed.

Fourthly, female work force can be harnessed by making female centric schemes. Here schemes of the Indian government like Beti Bachao, Beti Padao is one. The government of India should put their best efforts to make the educated girls to encourage them to join the work force after getting their degrees in every nook and corner of the country. Sometimes, in some cases, it is observed that women feel quite reluctant even if in this twenty-first century to join the workforce of the country. The government of India must try to make policies to wipe of this lacunea in the times to come.  

Last but not the least, the most important thing for women in the workforce is to feel safe and secure while working in the work place. If they feel so, the way to a harmonious and inclusive growth is not far away from the Indian economy. In such a scenario, our economy will certainly be in a pathway of higher growth in the times to come. The only prerequisite in this regard is to press the accelerator of growth by both the male and the female sex in an equal footing.

          Therefore, it is worthwhile concluding that in the last couple of decades a lot of positive and encouraging developments have been observed so far as the female work force is concerned. We, Indians need to put in our overwhelm efforts to make these positive changes in the female work force  to prosper and progress in the times to come and thereby harnessing them for the future for a more and higher inclusive growth in the Indian economy. This positive growth must ultimately engulf one and all irrespective of gender and all the other factors of life in the times to come. 

-JNANDEEP BORA

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