Her Career – Break To Restart
THE QUEST FROM BREAK TO RE-START
Women’s careers are rarely aligned in a linear path and seldom follow the conventional track from entry to senior levels without voluntary or involuntary career breaks
STUDY DESIGN & METHODOLOGY
The objective of the study is to present a realistic picture of the challenges women face after going on career breaks in India. It is essential to look at the issue holistically, i.e., the trials and tribulations of these women in their quest to restart their careers and the organization's behaviour towards these women.
TO GAIN A GREATER INSIGHT INTO THE SUBJECT, THIS RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED WITH OVER
- 1325 women from all over India, who are currently on a career break and want to restart their career (Quantitative)
- 50 Women’s telephonic interviews (Qualitative)
- 15 Recruitment Consultants (Qualitative)
KEY FOCUS AREAS - THE SURVEY TRIES TO EXPLORE AND UNDERSTAND THE BELOW ASPECTS RELATED TO WOMEN ON A CAREER BREAK.
- Reasons for women to take a career break
- Did they try all the options before taking the career break decision?
- Career restart challenges – the Trail & Tribulations
- Career break impact on mental – emotional – physical wellbeing
- Industry’s approach towards women’s candidature with A career break
- Support women need to restart their careers after A break
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TALENT MATTERS; WOMEN ARE EQUALLY TALENTED, SO WHY IGNORE THEM?
48% of the Indian population consists of women, and only 28% count to be employed and contribute to the economy. India is a country governed by its traditional values and belief systems. It carries the weight of gender roles and conventional beliefs, holding women’s potential back from achieving their best.
Women have outwitted men in many fields, yet in India, an educated woman pursuing her career often endures harsh social criticism. People have been conditioned to believe that life is a domestic affair for women, constrained indoors with no rights to chase their dream careers. They are made to seek validation for their worth and talent from a society with its own set of rules and preconceived notions against career-oriented women. Women are bound by such pressing demands and circumstances that a career break often seems to be the only choice left.
HAVE WE EVER QUESTIONED WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET THESE WOMEN BACK TO WORK AND ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OUR SURVEY RESEARCH FINDINGS ON MAJOR REASONS FOR WOMEN TAKING A CAREER BREAK
“Juggling a career and a family is a challenge for anyone, and even more so (in general) for women.” Geeta- 8 years experienced professional
- 35% of the women respondents have reported Maternity as a major reason for their career break
- 23% of the women respondents had to go on a career break to take care of their Domestic Responsibilities
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SURVEY PARTICIPANT’S TOTAL EXPERIENCE BEFORE TAKING A CAREER BREAK AND THEY HAVE BEEN ON A CAREER BREAK SINCE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DO YOU THINK WOMEN ARE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR CAREER?
DO WOMEN REGRET THEIR CAREER BREAK DECISION?
“As we are emotionally linked to the office culture, after working for so many years I miss that part of my life. Also, I definitely missed my financial independence and have to think a lot before spending. Now as my mother is in good health, I want to again get back to the job. But it has become very difficult to get a job now, which is frustrating and disappointing.” -Participant with 2+ years career break, a Senior Logistics Professional
Working for years in the corporate sector, I got used to that lifestyle. When I left my job and tried to mould myself into a new role, it was quite tough at the beginning. Adjusting to the new responsibilities, being confined within the four corners of my house, and most importantly losing track of the industry trends made me feel lost and frustrated.” - A Senior Logistics Professional with 2+ Years Career Break
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEEDBACK FROM WOMEN PARTICIPANTS ON EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE TAKING A CAREER BREAK
A little flexibility and acceptance from employers will help women rise in their careers and add value to the organizations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAREER BREAK ADVERSE IMPACT ON MY
CANDIDATURE SELECTION | SALARY NEGOTIATION | CAREER PROSPECT
“I faced challenges on the financial front, as I didn’t have any alternative source of income. Secondly, getting back to work was very disappointing as wherever I tried for a job I had to accept a hit on my salary just because of my break period.” –
A participant with 2 years’ career break – A Senior Marketing Research Professional.
- 44% of the women respondents strongly feel that a career break would impact their Candidature Selection.
- 47% of the women respondents strongly feel that a career break would impact their Salary Expectation.
- 57% of the women respondents strongly feel that a career break would impact their Career Prospects.
YOU'LL NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO SELL YOUR BREAK AS A POSITIVE MOVE.
Build Yourself For The Future – Build Your Professional Worth
“The future depends on what you do today.”
Upgrade your skills. Skill sets are a major determinant in deciding the suitability of a candidate for a particular role and the salary being offered to them. A career break induces a gap in the skills that affect the candidate’s salary expectations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAREER BREAK ADVERSE IMPACT ON MYSELF
“Yes, the feelings of my self-worth have been affected to an extent as I am still struggling to find a good job.” - Participant with 7+Yrs Career Gap, an Accounting Professional
"Being a working woman is like having a double-edged sword hanging over your head. If I work hard and dedicate my time to a challenging career then I can't focus on my household responsibilities, and if I focus on my familial commitments, I lose my edge over my work proficiency," - Priya, who is currently on a career break.
“Returning to the workforce overwhelms me. I have lost all confidence because I know how technology has changed over the past few years, and I am not sure if I can ever gear up.” -Participant 7+ years career break, Coding Professional
- 54% of the women participant have reported that their career break has adversely impacted their Self-Worthiness
- 45% of the women participant have reported that their career break has adversely impacted their Self-Confidence
- 66% of the women participant have reported that their career break has adversely impacted their Financial Independence
- 68% of the women participant have reported that their career break has adversely impacted their Professional Network
- 58% of the women participant have reported that their career break has adversely impacted their Capability Development
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL BEING OF WOMEN DURING THEIR CAREER BREAK
"I was always unconsciously thinking about resuming my career, doubting myself and my ability to do so. I lacked focus and slowly lost myself over it. A career transition is an emotional point where women must endure a complete shift, and most find themselves unprepared to deal with it.” - Anita Roy is a mother who has been on a career break for eight years. She was an IT test engineer who took a break to support her growing children
- 48% of women participants shared that they have developed a Feeling of Uncertainty
- 48% of women participants shared that they have developed a Feeling of Insecurity
- 44% of women participants shared that they have developed Self-Doubt by questioning their capabilities to re-start their careers
- 43% of women participants shared that they are suffering from Anxiety
- 38% of women participants shared that they are suffering from Depression
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MY CAREER RESTART CHALLENGES - THE TRAILS & TRIBULATIONS
“I wanted to get back to work once my child started going to school.
I was looking for flexible working hours but could find no such job. At the same time, even when I was ready to compromise on the work timings, the package companies offered was too meagre for me to work for. It was almost three to four times less than what I was earning earlier.” - Participant with 5 years of career break – A Senior HR Professional
- 73% of the women respondents have said that they are Finding It Hard To Restart Their Career After A Break.
- 63% of the women respondents have said that they have faced Recruitment Biases Due To Career Break
- 45% of the women respondents have said that they have Lost Their Self Confidence due to their career break.
- 44% of the women respondents have said that there is A Low Acceptance Rate of Women With A Career Break in the industry.
- 43% of the women respondents have said they have Gap in Skill Sets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPPORT I NEED TO RESTART MY CAREER
- 71% of the women respondents said they need Reskilling Support to restart their careers.
- 70% of the women respondents need Networking Support, which can help these women to explore new opportunities.
- 57% of the women respondents have requested Mentoring Support to guide them on professional developments.
- 55% of the women respondents have expressed that they Need Pre and Post Interview Handholding to successfully navigate the stressful process of a job interview after a Career Breaks
- 52% of the women respondents said they need Counselling Support to address this part of the challenge - getting back after a career break is often full of personal struggles and future insecurities.
- 50% of the women respondents have expressed the need for Returnship Programs to help them build up their confidence and skills.
- 49% of the women respondents have expressed that they need support on Profile Building after a career break to re-start their careers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INSIDER’S INSIGHT
RECRUITMENT CONSULTANTS PERSPECTIVE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LET YOUR PASSION BURN BRIGHTER THAN YOUR FEARS
You Are The Only One That Has The Power And The Responsibility To Pick Yourself Up, Despite The Challenges And Failures
Career post a break for a woman professional can be challenging. But there is a lot that she can accomplish with a planned and intentional approach.
CAREER MATTERS!
No matter how much your partner earns, it is completely fine to place your career and financial independence over everything else. Be selfish enough to realize that being financially stable makes you an independent person and brings a sense of confidence that no other thing can.
After a career break, returning to the workforce is a multistep process, but each needs to move in tandem with the other.
LEARNING AND NETWORKING ARE CRITICAL FOR A SUCCESSFUL RESTART.
It's imperative that women willing to resume their careers gear themselves up and upgrade themselves with the necessary skills. While as for companies, it's high time they open their doors to women with a career break, for they are missing out on a large part of the talent pool that has immense potential to deliver growth and profits.
You don't make progress by sitting on the fence and making excuses or getting bogged down by the struggle. You make progress by facing the situation head-on and working through them.
Survey Research Project Head
|
|
BSc - Chemistry, MBA - Marketing from PIMSR, Mumbai University
A Talent Acquisition Professional by training. Passionate about Human Resources and Market Research, how Market Research can be utilized for the betterment of Human Resources. Enjoys reading fiction books and is also a passionate Aquarist. |
