Women’s Link, Volume 18, No.3, July-September 2012

Editorial Problems Faced by Working Women

It is no wonder that in a society where there is no end to the sad saga of male violence and cruelty inflicted upon ordinary women, where the ever reluctant patriarchal class refuses to budge an inch for women’s emancipation, it is tough going for working women in general. Apart from facing the inherent discrimination of being born a female, working women face many other problems which have transformed them into tight rope-walkers struggling to maintain a balance between the office and home. Our distorted social customs advocate the concept that feminine qualities best blossom in the confinement of the house, something which the menfolk of our society still longingly and ardently believe , so much so, that even all the developments and advancements of the present age have not been able to clear the cobwebs of their misconceptions. So, it is only natural that the sight of the showpiece of the house moving out of her shelf raises many brows from the guardians of our culture and customs. In fact, this is a stepping stone beyond which lie the actually intriguing and appalling problems for women, who have decided to venture into the male world of office and work. What are the problems that working women face in our country? What ails our society so deeply that the situation does not seem to improve at all? Today in almost all the periodicals and journals one gets to see reports of studies being undertaken, researches conducted, articles written about working women and their problems. This surely does not indicate that problems of working women are an Indian problem alone. On the contrary, it is a worldwide phenomenon with India being no exception. The fact is that being a conservative country, the situation is far worse here. After overcoming all sorts of prejudices and criticisms with remarkable dexterity, when an average Indian woman enters into the traditional male bastions, she finds herself in utmost despair. Some of the age-old obsessions that land heavily on working women’s back in their quest for acquiring excellence in the erstwhile forbidden fields include women are weak, they leave jobs to get married or have children, women are emotionally unstable, etc. Many men have a paternalistic attitude towards women and if they are employers, prevent working women from performing to their true potential. Many are also apprehensive of the fact that once economically independent, working women would assert their presence and power and may overtake them in status and position. So, they show their reluctance readily at the idea of women going out for work. In our society, woman is considered the maker and defender of the entire household. She has to be a wife, mother, home-maker, daughter, daughter-in-law, neighbour – all at the same time, in support of the veracity of the awarded epithet of Grihalakshmi. Every conceivable thing on the home front – from bearing and rearing children to cooking, washing, cleaning, marketing – all comes under the duty-schedule of a woman. Daughters in our society are groomed to become efficient home-managers and this upbringing and mental make-up comes under severe strain, once a woman has to manage both her office and home. She gets stream-rolled between two full-time jobs, each with ceaseless responsibilities. Reduced to being a single parent virtually, every single responsibility of child upbringing rests with the working mother. In the process, she falls behind in her career, lets go of promotional as well as transfer facilities and becomes a psychologically, physically and emotionally strained person. Even with the domestic help available, a working mother fails to fill in the emotional gap that encompasses her.

Women’s Link, Volume 18, No.3, July-September 2012

For working women, striking a balance between her family and career is a constant battle against time. A landmark study conducted by sociologist A. Hochschild reveals that on an average “women worked roughly 15 hours longer each week than men. Over a year, they worked an extra month of 24-hour-days a year. Over a dozen years, it was an extra year of 24-hour-days”. And even after all this toil; she ends up feeling guilty of not effectively satisfying the needs of her home and office. While the rest of the problems are such that they can be solved with purpose and imagination, the overriding problem seems to be that of time management. So unless and until other members of the family, especially male member(s), come forward to share some of the responsibilities of the overburdened working woman, she will find it harder to keep up with today’s ‘fast-forward’ situation. The lack of security is something which every Indian woman faces once outside the protected corridors of her house. The security threat of working women is of an alarming proportion, especially because of the varied nature of work places. Once she is out to fend for herself in the male dominated world, she finds herself in the quagmire of insecurity all the more, which prevents her from accepting jobs during the night time, as well as in far-flung and secluded areas. Sexual harassment at work places is by far the most condemnable and grievous problem faced by working women all over the world, and working women in India, too, are not spared. Unfortunately, we do not have any exclusive legislation to deal with this menace and save the honour of working women. Whatever little protection is being offered is through the section 294, 354 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with cases where the modesty of women, at large, is outraged. But even then how many of the working women in India seek legal protection, even when their modesty is outrageously violated? Apprehensive of being ostracised as “loose woman” they, unlike their western counterparts, do not want to face the humiliating and probing eyes of the public, rather preferring to suffer or leave their jobs. The Supreme Court in 1997 (Vishaka judgment) laid down guidelines to protect women from sexual harassment. However, the Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment Bill, 2010 which redefines sexual harassment and provides a mechanism for redressing complaints is yet to be enacted and become a law. Nevertheless, the problems faced by working women in India are not at all insurmountable. Perceptible changes can definitely be brought about with sincere efforts and proper attention from all concerned. Highlighting the complexity and enormity of the problem in a wider perspective in the mass media would certainly help in bringing about the desired changes in near future. The actual situation must be brought out in the open by conducting more and more fact-oriented studies and researches to create a social awareness amongst all. It is high time the Government enacts the Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment at Work Places Bill 2010 and implements its provisions to save their rights and dignity at work places.

Dr. Rakesh K Singh Editor