Remote work has the flexibility of a pop tube, twisty and lending itself to be manipulated into many shapes. Freed of the leaden weight of the daily commute and other work-related frills, remote work can arm-twist time into serving the employee better, professionally and personally. On the flip side, a pop tube can get elongated, when attached to other pop tubes, two directly and many others indirectly. That facet of a pop tube illustrates the bane of remote work. It is a bane particularly felt by women, as they are labelled the primary care giver in most households. With interruptions from the hearth, the office work when done at home can wind on like an elongated pop tube — excruciatingly so — for women professionals.
So, as the findings of a predictive analytics study by Avtar — Status of Women’s Workforce Participation in India in 2022 — argue that the formalisation of remote work would positively impact women’s participation in the workforce, this question clamours to be asked.
What happens when the family offloads a truckload of chores on the woman professional? Did the study grapple with this question?
“In 2020, when Avtar looked into the gender differentials of the remote work experience amongst professionals — as part of its annual research report VIEWPORT 2020 — equal percentages of men and women (68%) reported feeling overwhelmed with the new ways of working. Basis data emerging from VIEWPORT 2021, Avtar’s annual research on Chore dynamics in Indian households, we observed that 22% women in dual income households shared an equal division of household chores with their spouses/partners (2-5 hours on an average per day). So, the pandemic and associated disruptions have led to a change in narrative, which — if our society (and families) are to honour the learnings — can help increase women’s workforce participation in India,” notes Saundarya Rajesh, founder and president of Avtar.
The predictive analytics study by Avtar has crunched numbers from Working Mothers and Avtar Best Companies for Women in India studies conducted from 2016 to 2021, along with projections for 2022.
From data about industry-wise women’s workforce participation in the said period, new work policies in Indian companies and their recent diversity track record, the study has thrown up women’s workforce participation (WWP) scenarios in 2022 and beyond.
The predictive picture presents a landscape of hope with its contours largely defined by six positive trends. One, an increasing number of companies are formalising remote work. Two, a greater focus on POSH by organisations will hugely reduce attrition among women employees due to safety concerns. Three, an increase in organisations offering paternity leave will make the field less uneven in terms of care-giving responsibilities. Four, women will benefit hugely from care-giver policies framed by their companies. Five, greater emphasis on formalising second-career tracks for women in corporate India. Six, male allyship programmes to promote careers of women professionals are gaining greater mind-space now in Indian companies.
The top three
A key finding is that “Close to 3.8 lakh companies are expected to offer remote work in 2022 (this is almost double the number of companies offering the same in 2016)”
Another significant observation: “Consulting, IT/ITES and BFSI will be the top three industries to engage with some talent in 2022”.
While talking percentages, consulting seems to have trumped the IT/ITES sector in terms of gender inclusion intent.
Saundarya explains: “The trends are indicative of the gender ratios in these sectors — so it is an expression of gender inclusion intent in the industries, which is growing at a faster pace in Consulting as against IT/ITES. However, in terms of the total number of women hired, IT/ITES is the biggest sectorial employer of women with women being hired last year versus women in management consulting.”
New geographies
There is a trend now of companies, particularly those in the IT sector, looking for talent in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, largely because of the greater currency gained by remote and hybrid work models. In this arrangement, the candidates are spared the inconvenience of relocating to a new geography as they can either work from home, or report to the nearest feeder office, a few days in a month. This arrangement would do much for women balancing personal and professional commitments. Is there a pronounced trend of companies reserving a percentage of such jobs for women candidates to promote diversity?
Says Saundarya: “We have observed as much as 35% of the positions that came to us were from companies seeking women candidates in roles such as IT: Testing, Developer, Consultant, PM, BA, Engineer and Infra roles. Also, Tier 2 and 3 cities have indeed become geographies of focus with the possibilities of a remote, distributed workforce. Over the last two years, close to half of Working Mother & Avtar Best Companies for Women in India have extended their focus to talent in these cities’ locations.”
