UP guv has bad advice for women
We live in an age of algorithms, and algorithms are built on the cold logic of conditional statements, like if/then. For example, if it’s raining in Mumbai, then don’t go out – you could fall into an open manhole. UP governor Anandiben Patel has her own little algorithm for young women. Call it life advice if you want, but it’s an algorithm really: if you’ve become an “expert mother”, only then consider pursuing a career – whether “IAS officer or teacher” – else don’t.
Patel’s prescription is problematic. Study after study has shown that women everywhere face a “motherhood penalty”. Many fall out of the workforce after their first child, and those who remain, on average, earn less than women who’ve chosen to not have children. In India, the job market has never been mum-friendly. A recent study shows 73% of new mothers quit working, and if they return later, almost half leave again within four months. Combine that with anotherdata point, that India has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates in the world – 32% as against 59% in China, per World Bank. Besides, the figure for urban India – where aspirational white-collar jobs are – is considerably lower.
So, Patel’s advice, while good on algorithmic syntax, fails the test of logic. Her other condition, “Everyone should know how to cook the food prepared at home” is likewise bad. It’s no secret that women shoulder an unequal burden of household chores, and this affects their ability to participate in formal work. That’s why a state’s highest constitutional authority shouldn’t be telling women graduates that cookery skills matter more than their dreams and aspirations. It only reinforces societal expectations. But young women are smart. They know which algorithms to run, and which ones to escape.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
