Ways to strengthen the actual backbone of gender diversity

Every other article that you read on management or by HR thought leaders, talks about gender diversity and the innovative measures organizations are taking to increase their women workforce. Statistics do show marginal increase in the number of women employees in the past decade or so (worldwide, don’t know India numbers specifically) and hence it wouldn’t be wrong to attribute the growing numbers to these women friendly policies. However, purely from an Indian context, I believe these policies are only solving one end of the problem.

Making office life easier and better for women is a must and more measures around that is necessary, however, the other end is the support system and family at home. Who is addressing parents, spouses and even in-laws to be more open minded about women working in high demanding jobs?

I recently read about the recommendation being given to IT companies in Karnataka asking them not to employ women for night shifts. While it has a major women security reason for which it is a good recommendation, however, the headlines read as, Don’t make women work late at nights, they are needed at home.

Recently, a famous film star’s wife said in an event that she couldn’t ever be a working mother, if she wanted to spend only limited hours with her new born daughter, then she would have bought a dog.

Being married and becoming a parent are life changing decisions for both a man and a woman. However, the choice to continue working or not is only that the lady of the house must make. Men are expected to work.  This is how we are, and I am not expecting to change mind-sets by writing about it. However, what I do believe is, just like the corporates roll out policies to make it easier for women to manage their work and life, we should have uniform policies across households that encourage women to have the option to work or get into their businesses, here’s what I mean:

1. Minimum education program for girls: Each girl must be a graduate before she can get married.
2. Minimum service program: Each girl who has attained 16 years of age, must work for 2 years compulsorily in a government/non-profit set-up, where she should be paid minimum wages.
3. Child Assistance Program: Exactly like the office creche facility that’s now been mandatory by the government, every municipal locality should have a creche with minimal fees, infrastructure (including CCTV) and well trained staff.
4. Mandatory self-defence training: While in school, every girl must be taught self-defence techniques, every year. In fact, they should be made to do mock fights with boys so that the boys know what girls can do.
5. Vocational Training: Since graduation to be the minimum education for girls, make them learn a skill with which they can earn when they are in college.
6. Mandatory monthly income per family: Every family of four and above to earn a minimum amount every month, without which they can’t get government subsidies. Choice up to the man of the house then, whether he wants to earn everything on his own or take the help of his better half.
7. Mandatory home science classes for boys in school. They should be taught basics of cooking and managing household chores in a manner that their life is not dependent on having a female member at home.

The idea is to make a woman self-sufficient, and then let her choose in what capacity does she want to contribute in her home, as a bread earner or as a home bearer.  My most ideal role models of working women are the maids who are cognizant of the importance of education of their children and the growing expenditures, and hence pick up jobs that suit their skills, earning money and balancing time with kids at the same time! If only, to whatever they are doing, they started getting more support and push!