GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT:Informal Work

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Lesson 26

GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

So far we have been primarily discussing gender differences, and to some extent similarities between genders.

We talked about the biological basis of gender differences, the social variables and stereotypes that lead to

gender disparity, and the differences as well as similarities in personality, cognitive ability and emotion. The role

of medial in promoting and strengthening conventional gender roles was also discussed. We also looked into

the nature and causes of educational deprivation and barriers to females' access to education. We saw that

besides social pressures, and stereotypical beliefs, the very nature and process of the educational system also

promote traditional gender roles.

But from now on we will shift out focus a bit. We will see how the societal attitudes, beliefs about and women's

status in the society in general affect different females' abilities aspects of women's life; the social,

psychological, economic and health related aspects. Before beginning our discussion on Gender and Work, let

us go through a few cases, or you may call them stories. The cases belong to our society, the characters

commonly found around us, and the situations we are very well familiar with. The names are however fictitious

and cases hypothetical.

Case 1

Shamin is a 12 year old bright girl, belonging to a middle class family. She went to school for five years, always

topping the list of successful students. After class-5 her father decided that she will not be going to school any

more. Shamin, being a child, protested by crying and begging but no one listened to her. Now she stays home

and assists her mother in household chores and looks after her two younger siblings.

Case 2

Syma did her masters in physics. She was a scholarship holder throughout her career, never a burden on her

parents. She wants to work in her university, where she has been offered a job, but the family doesn't agree.

Although they are not against the idea. The family believes that if Syma starts working, their distant family and

neighbors will think she is earning for them. Besides, she will not be able to get an appropriate match, with

equal status, in their moderately educated class.

Case 3

Saira is specialist doctor, working in a hospital. She got married to a businessman. Soon after her marriage the

husband and the in-laws prohibited her from joining duty. They had initially shown no such intentions. Saira

protested, but her parents did not support her. Now she is at home all the time, looking after the household.

Case 4

Sajida is a teacher, who is the private sector, earning as much as her husband does. Both of them are back

home from duty at 3:00 pm. Then Sajida starts her household responsibilities. he cooks, cleans washes, does

ironing, and teaches her children all without any help. She goes to bed at 12:30 at night and wakes up at 5 in the

morning to cook for the day and help her four children to get ready for school. The husband does not help her

at all in all these chores; at every first of the new month, she hands over all her salary to her husband who

decides how the money is to be spent.

Case 5

Shahida is a banker, a branch manager. After her experience and performance she is a candidate fit for

promotion as an area manager. But every time a promotion is expected, some male manager is chosen. The

bank offers foreign postings and training to efficient employees every year, but Shahida is never selected. Now

she believes that she will never be able to rise to the highest ranks in her organization.

All these cases present experiences that hundreds of thousands of females undergo not only in our society but

all over the world. In our discussion on gender and work, we will see how different impediments block

women's capacity building, and empowerment.

But first of all, let us understand some basic concepts and terminology; work, formal and informal work and

empowerment.

Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Work

Work refers to an occupation; in the present context it refers to a formal occupation; or profession.

Formal Work versus Informal Work

Formal work is an occupation that is:

a) Learnt after formal training and learning a skill

b) A means of earning/income for the person

c) Performed at a specific work place and,

d) Performed during specific work hours

Informal Work

All work is not formal work. People work informally too. Most women indulge into informal work i.e., house

work. Women's informal work is not paid for; it has no specific work hours or a work place. Women work for

varying number of house, at various sites, and without an acknowledgment that they work; they are called "non

working" members of the society. An average housewife may work for as many as 84 house week, 12 hours a

day from 5 O' clock in the morning till midnight.

Formal and Informal Work combined

In case of most working women, they are involved in both types of work; they work in the workplace as well as

at house.

Women Empowerment

Bringing power to women; making women powerful; facilitating autonomy and self-reliance of women.

Empowerment can be:

_ Economic

_ Social

_ Legal

_ Political

An empowered woman makes, or can make, her own life decisions, and is self reliant.

Going back to our cases we see that in case 1, Shamin who was not allowed to continue her studies, her very

initial opening to empowerment was blocked; no education, no hope for empowerment. In case 2, Syma, is

educated but not allowed to work; she is capable, equipped with knowledge and skill, but the family is not

permissive of her attaining self reliance; she was dependent on her parents, therefore had t obey them. In case

3, the doctor, Saira, was already working and earning when she got married, but familial-social pressure put her

empowerment to an end. Sajida's case, case 4, is an example of modern women's dual/multiple role. The

family, and the significant others are permissive of her job, but no body bothers to share her additional load of

housework. In spite of the fact that she is working and earning, she is not empowered since she does not have

control over her own earnings, is not the decision maker even in case of her own life. In case 5, Sajida's case,

the issue is not the familial or societal, attitudes, but the system within the organization that hinders her

promotion and rising above her male colleagues. She is experiencing the Glass-ceiling effect.

The purpose of describing these cases is to sensitize you about the different barriers to women's empowerment

and their very existence as human being. Human beings are born with a free will and basic goodness. All

human beings have and should have, equal rights, equal treatment, equal opportunities to perform at their

optimal level. Have you even come across a man who has experienced any of the treatments that females in the

five cases described here? Definitely no!!

And one last work about the house wife (non working female). The very title suggests that she does not work.

But comparing work hours, a housewife works, on average, more hours than an average man does. A man, in

our culture, works around eight hours a day, and usually not on weekend; but the so called "non working

woman works for around twelve hours a day, and on weekend too.

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