Beyond Glass Ceilings and Brick Walls - International Labour ...

men in the public sphere working outside the home and women in the
private domestic sphere (Rao et al 1999: Pilcher 2004). Consequently,
households are generally seen as nuclear (consisting of husband, wife and
children), while the man is persistently seen as the head of the household,
responsible for his family. On this revolves further assumptions: that men’s
jobs are more important than women’s; that men’s main reasons for working
are more imperative than women’s; and that men’s career prospects are
higher than women’s. Conversely, it is assumed that women’s work is
secondary; and that women’s reasons for working are not legitimate; and
that, they are not interested in long-term careers. This is evident in the
general situation of women workers in the labour market, and the treatment
that they receive at the workplace, as well as within intra-family relations.
Contrary to these often implicit socio-cultural beliefs, women
interviewees state that their reasons for working are as follows: ‘to earn
money to live (to support self and family)’; ‘cannot afford not to’; ‘like
to work and gain knowledge/experience’; ‘to make use of qualifications’;
‘to do something worthwhile with life’; ‘to do something challenging’;
‘and to meet people’.
Women spend the money they earn on a) household/family expenditure,
b) daily work-related expenses, c) loans d) savings e) charity (depending
on their civil status).
A majority if these women convey that working is a vital/indispensable
activity in their lives. This explodes the social myth that working is a frivolous
activity for women; that they are just marking time before getting married;
and that they are merely making a secondary contribution to the household.
(It is worth noting that the research sample of ten case studies includes a
single woman living alone and a woman-headed family. These women rely
solely on their own incomes.)
The respondents, who were satisfied with their current employment, aspired
to scale company ladders. Others were thinking of moving on to better
prospects. Their general plans for the next five to ten years include buying a
car, getting married, building a house, travelling, and so on. One respondent
was thinking of retiring after thirty years of work. Another was exploring
the prospect of setting up her own software company. Only one interviewee
contemplated leaving the job after marriage; yet even she felt that she
might not be able to afford it, and therefore, she too thought more in terms
of a change in profession. The aspirations of these women clearly show that
their commitment to working is serious, and that they are in it for long-term
gains.
The questionnaire addressed another area of interest, that of the unofficial
support networks that provide job opportunities and promote upward mobility
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