On an optamistic note, things seem to be on an upward swing with matters concerning women in the workplace. The change is slow, nonetheless. The upcoming Women Writers’ Festival 2017 is an initiative that hopes to throw light on the changing times. It will focus on how we must think and what we must do to inspire more women to pursue meaningful careers. Non-fiction writers, business journalists and academics will offer an understanding on the trajectory of women at the workplace.
The change is seen for the better and for the worse. There seems to be a greater awarness among women employees and their employers, at least in cities, for the need to create a more conducive workplace for women, according to feminist and publisher Urvashi Butalia. “The effort has been ongoing in the areas of providing separate toilets, safe transportation, awareness of sexual harassment laws etc., but a lot more work still needs to be done,” she says.
The number of companies that have set up sexual harassment committees are very few, and none address the attitude towards women employees that prevails. “Until that changes, and until men and women in workplaces understand the value of women’s labour,” she says, “the nature of the workplace will not change radically.”
Besides Butalia, other speakers inlcude Monika Halan, Bahar Dutt, Aparna Jain, Veenu Venugopal, Poonam Barua, Shreyasi Singh, Shaili Chopra, and others.