A Theoretical Study on The Attitude of Women Toward Returning to Work After a Career Break

Abstract

Research conducted by The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy states that an alarming 2.4 million women dropped out of the workforce in 2017 due to factors such as family pressures, wage disparity maternity, relocation, caring for elders etc. The most prevalent reasons for women taking a break from their work are primarily personal. Another reason is the lack of expected career growth. Several Indian and international reports lay emphasis on the extent of women’s contribution to the workforce and how women are needed at the workplace for the country’s GDP to go up. But getting back isn’t facile. There have been a plethora of challenges getting back to work, as most of the companies have a work culture that values youth over age and experience and, of course, there is the gender inequity, additionally. Women returning to work often face a slew of stereotypical remonstrations – cognate to their age, the duration they were out of the work-force and their capabilities and proficiency sets. They are under pressure to establish their commitment to work and demonstrate that their skills and capabilities have not eroded during the break. For women who return to the workforce after childbirth, there’s the integrated challenge of scaling the ‘maternal wall’. Women’s gross earnings have been shown to drop by 30% after their first child, and over the long term, mothers earn 20% less. Return-to-work or returnee programs are designed to gradually ease women back into the workforce. They are offered training programs to re-skill them, opportunities to work on live projects, interactions with mentors and the possibility to take on a full-time role as well.