Understanding gendered workplace behaviour and its implications on the parenting ecosystem at work

Abstract

In the latest round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 2015-16, the proportion of working women has witnessed a sharp decline compared to a decade ago. In 2005-06, when the last NFHS survey was conducted, 43% of married women in the age group of 15-49 years had reported working in the past 12 months. This proportion has declined to 31% in the latest survey. 98% of married men in the same age bracket reported having worked in the last 12 months. The research on this issue points to three key factors that have limited the role of women in the Indian economy: the role of entrenched gender norms in our society, the rising incomes of men (which raises family income and makes it easier for women to quit working), and the lack of quality jobs for women. The common thread binding these reasons is the work structures of today that have evolved over time keeping in mind the need of the dominant gender in the workforce – the men. These structures place little or no importance on the social aspects of life such as the family life, work-life balance and psychological flexibility. While the peripheral reasons behind this are the set gender roles and division of work at home, there are deeper economical, behavioural, social, cultural and historical reasons that are holding the fort for these structures. The direct spillover of this is seen in family planning where the prime role of a parent rests on one parent (women in most cases). In an Indian environment, this effect is aggravated due to severe lack of support at workplaces and a shocking ignorance towards the needs of the working parents.