Essay on “Working Women Problems” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Working Women Problems

POINTS TO DEVELOP 1. Working women are common but their problems have grown.

2. Taking just one sector of working women, i.e., urban women in paid employment, there are several problems.
3. Problem of getting work one wants.
4. Remuneration unequal

5. Women workers are expected to work harder
6. working mothers have greater problems.
7. sexual harassment faced by working women.
8. most of the problems are rooted in the social attitude to the position of women..

10.social attitudes must be changed to give women a better deal.

NO eyebrows are raised today at the thought of women going out to work. Plenty of lip service is paid to the idea of equality of men and women. And yet no one would deny that working women. It may be relevant to say here, that when we are talking of working women, we are referring to those who are in paid employment.

          Social attitude to the role of women lags much behind the law. This attitude which considers women fit for certain jobs and not others colors  those who recruit employees. Thus, women find employment easily as nurses, doctors, teachers – the caring and nurturing sectors; as clerks and secretaries or in assembling jobs – the routine submissive sectors. But even if well qualified women engineers or managers or geologists are available, preference will be given to a male of equal qualifications. A gender bias creates  an obstacle at the recruitment stage itself.

          Then comes remuneration. Once again, the law proclaims equality, but it is seldom put into practice. The inbuilt conviction that women are capable of less work than men or are less efficient than men governs this injustice of unequal remuneration for the same job. In the Republic of Korea women’s wages are  only 47 per cent of what men get. In Japan they get only 51 per cent of what their male counterparts receive. And in India, too, there is widespread discrimination in this respect.

          The age old belief of male superiority over women creates several hurdles for women at their palace of work. Women on the  way up the corporate ladder discover that they must be much better than their male colleagues to reach the top. Once at the top, male colleagues and subordinates often expect much greater expertise and efficiency from a woman boss than from a male boss. What is worse, conditioned by social and psychological tradition,  women colleagues, too, do not lend support to their own sex. Working in such conditions inevitably puts a much greater strain on women than what men experience.

          These problems tend to make women less eager to progress in their careers. Indeed , many of them choose less demanding jobs for which they may even be over-qualifies. But such compromises do not work well for many, who become frustrated at jobs, which do not suit their talents, or listless because of the routine drudgery.

          A woman’s work is not merely confined to paid employment. She has to, almost always , shoulder the burden of household chores as well, thankless unpaid work which could easily be put under the maintenance of essential services act.

          Perhaps the problems would appear less burdensome if at least social recognition was given to the invisible input of women in employment. But who cares to notice the routine work which many a woman does as a matter of course- cooking, cleaning, washing, rearing  children and looking after the ill and elderly? If it is noticed, it is dismissed carelessly as a part of her “duty”. While the man can come home from a taxing day at office and relax with  a cup of tea and the newspaper or television, a woman is compelled to merely switch over from one kind of work to another on reaching home.

          It is a much more hectic schedule for a working mother. Besides the regular housework, she is unfairly saddled with the entire responsibility of bringing up the children. In the circumstances, she has to face a high state of nervous tension and worry besides the physical stress.

          A woman could still bear up with these problems if she had control over the money she earns. But in most families even now her salary is handed over in toto to the father, husband or in-laws. So a basic motive for seeking employment- getting economic independence is nullified in many a woman’s case.

          Problems because of gender bias beset women in the industrial sector too. Technological advancement invariably  results in retrenchment of women employees. No one thinks of upgrading their skills. Maternity leave is seldom given; it is much easier to terminate the women’s employment and hire someone else. And trade unions do little to ameliorate the lot of women workers. Women’s issue do not occur on the priority list of these labour organizations.

          Women going to work are often subject to sexual harassment. Public transport systems are overcrowded and men take advantage of the circumstances to physically harass women. Places of work are little better. Colleagues offer unwanted attention which can still be shaken off, but a woman is placed in a predicament if the higher officer demands sexual favors. If refused, the boss can easily take it out on the woman in other ways to make life miserable for her. On the other hand, if a woman is praised for her work or promoted on merit, her colleagues do not hesitate to attribute it to sexual favors conferred by her on the boss! The psychological pressure of all this can easily lead to a woman’s quitting her job.

          In small or big cities, the working woman finds it difficult to get suitable accommodation. House owners are   suspicious and hesitant to rent to young(even old) women on their own. Hostels are rare and not enough to meet the demand. So the woman is forced to seek nontransferable jobs ans is thus restricted in her choice.

          Most of the problems that beset working women are in reality, rooted in the social perspective of the position  of women. Traditionally men are seen as the bread-winners and the women as the house-keepers, child-bearers and child-rearers. This typecast role model continues to put obstacles before the before the working women.

          The law too has hitherto served the interests on one gender(male) at the immense cost and disadvantage of the other(female). The framers, enforcers, and executors of the law are by and large men, and women have little clout to influence the the legal process, which has done pretty little to address even the basic issues pertaining to employed women. Besides, the number of working women is still not significant enough to be able to change their working conditions.

          A fundamental change is required in the attitudes of  the employers, policy-makers, family members and others relatives, and the public at large. Marriage, pregnancy and child bearing / rearing should be regarded by employers as a woman’s important but not her only functions. The policy makers must consider a woman as a distinct personality, not as an appendage of the male relatives. The family members, male or female, must share the indoor work of a woman if she works outdoors like a male. The public must regard and respect working women as significant contributors to the well-being and prosperity of the society. We all must recognize that providing good child care is a national responsibility if the women who work are short of time.

          Flexible working hours would go a long way in easing the burden on the employed women. The system of paternity leave, paid or unpaid, can be introduced so that the father can share the household tasks and parent the new- born babe. There is an urgent need to evolve a comprehensive national maternity and child –care policy incorporating the needs of working women in both the organized or unorganized – industrial , agricultural or service –sectors. Problems of harassment at the workplace need to be seriously addressed. The offenders should be brought to book at the earliest. All efforts should be directed towards making the work environment  congenial for the female employees.

          In the final analysis, a clear-cut state policy, even if it cannot, change attitudes and social perceptions overnight, can play a vital role in influencing and molding social opinions. The important aspect about state policy is that since it has the authority of law and sanction of the state behind it, it can change practices even if it takes time to change attitudes.

          Social attitudes sometimes lag behind social realities in a period of transition. The roles of the primary care-giver in a family need to be redefined to include male members. If the social superstructure does not reflect the current needs then it has to be changed. Perhaps it is time for a few determined pushes to take the first step of reconstructing social structures so that they address modern needs.