Shubhra Mohanty, founder of Women and Convention wants women to become bread earners

Shubhra Mohanty, the founder of Women and Convention and motivational speaker, urges women to come out of their comfort zones and get addicted to being self-reliant. Being a primary caregiver is not your only role and don't get satiated. Debunk the social doctrines that are built on the foundation of bias.

"After my Master in Business Administration from KIIT University I was all ready for my long journey in the corporate world. Never did I know that it was going to transform my life. I had a lucrative career but when I experienced the worst face of misogyny pre and post motherhood, I decided to take the reins in my hands. Being a wife and mother had been always an easier option but I had to stand up for myself. I did fall, but I had to rise," she says.

"The irony is I found tremendous support when I quit my corporate career and my family and my social circle was super supportive of me being a stay at home mom. Unfortunately, nobody questioned it. That's the problem!"

We are okay with women being mediocre and the social norms are designed in a way that portrays women as the epitome of caregiving, she pointed out. She is the central force but what about her?"

She realized her calling and launched her speaking career. She did everything in her power to take her story to more women around the world who are about to give up on themselves through her keynotes, fireside chats and panel discussions. 

"I think being a caregiver is a fantastic role, but that is not all you are. A woman is more and beyond."

The pandemic has turned workplaces upside down. And like always women have to bear the brunt of this unwanted shuffle in our everyday lives due to the caregiving crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, she reiterates.

According to the "Women in the Workplace" report, by Lean In and McKinsey & Company one in four women are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce due to the impact of Covid-19. 

If we look closely the problem isn't a new one. Women historically have been expected to compromise their professional growth when it came to caregiving. A woman's role as the primary caregiver in a household has always been taken very seriously so much so that now it is ingrained in their belief system. Most women don't complain, she emphasizes.

Mohanty is helping women by enabling them to challenge the status quo and teaching them the necessary defenses to make it big in their workplaces and be self-reliant. A FlexJobs survey of working parents found that 25% of fathers and mothers had reduced their hours to cope with childcare demands. But women were much likely than men (17% to 10%) to quit.

While the pandemic has forced all parents to take on more housework and child care, studies show mothers taking on the vast majority of it. Research says, Mothers are more likely than fathers to worry that their performance is being negatively judged due to their caregiving responsibilities.

"I will tell you the problem that begins at home ends up at the workplace, she points out". It calls for a radical transformation in the social doctrines and the way women are socialized. The so-called modern day workplaces have a huge role to play in helping women avoid burn out.

Flexibility at work, counseling sessions, team building workshops, man management trainings and mental health sessions can go a long way in retaining the women workforce but long-term root level change calls for a complete overhaul of our perspectives and the way we have looked at women and their role in the household and in the society at large.

We better start now before the pandemic completely erases the extensive progress that had happened over the years in closing the gender gap.

To learn more or connect with Shubhra reach out to her on her Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

From Brand Desk