Women and Labour Market: Exploring potential Livelihood Opportunities

21 year old Saba Ahmed wants to go out of the confines of her house and do something which women in her community are generally not allowed to. She wants to work. She wants to earn a living so that she doesn’t have to depend on her brother for every other necessity. She wants to be an independent woman. She wants to make choices and take her own decisions. All she needs is an opportunity where she can prove herself. All she needs is a platform to enhance her skills.

Every year, more and more women are making it to the top spots in various fields. Be it pioneering work in natural sciences or something as small as earning a living for her own. With the increase in number of women getting educated, it is important that they use the knowledge for not just family care but beyond. Looking around, we see women not just stepping in the outside world for earning a livelihood but also doing the not so traditional jobs. They are not just working as helpers in the agriculture sector or as domestic helps or under paid laborers, but are taking professions which were male-dominated until very recently. They aren’t merely supplementing the male members, but are themselves behind the wheel, steering their way to development and empowerment.Thus, while the GDP figures are fast increasing, it is essential to ensure that there are ample employment opportunities for women so that there is maximum utilization of the available human capital.

Taking the case of Shaheen Bagh, Okhla Village in New Delhi, we find some 50 women undergoing a Beauty and Wellness Course by ActionAid in partnership with Anant Learning and Development, and Justrojgar, supported by the European Commission. For these women, this training brings with it a hope and the confidence that they too are capable of being the breadwinners of the family despite their low education. Their willingness to learn is tremendous as they have got an opportunity which probably will be gone forever if not grabbed this time. A similar picture comes to light as we talk to women (around 150) undergoing Sewing Machine Operator Course. While some are acquiring a skill explore a potential livelihood option, others are looking forward to recognition of their already existing skills by the government through a certificate which will enable them to get employment in the formal sector with better working conditions.

Women today are trained as Security Guards, Auto Drivers, Cab Drivers, in Sales and Marketing sectors, Data Entry Operators, Bee-Keepers, Chefs, in Bakery, Bag Making, Block Painting, Fish Processing etc to name a few. Personality Development and Life Skills programs in addition to various skill trainings have ensured that women excel in the new fields they are exploring and make a perpetual space there for themselves in these sectors.

Only when women make a mark in the labor market shall they be strong enough to smash patriarchy. Providing them with livelihood opportunities will not just help them in their individual development but will help decrease gender inequalities in the society as a whole. It is important that we treat women as an individual, with capabilities, which  she is free to harvest the way she wants and whenever she wants. It thus becomes the obligation of the society as a whole to ensure that women get an opportunity to discover and nurture their hidden talents. There are many like Saba around us, who are waiting for the right opportunity to spread their wings and fly high.

What is required is more such relevant trainings, across the country, closer to their habitations than distant locations.