Thriving or Surviving?

A recent report claimed that B’luru has overtaken Chennai to become the best Indian city for working women. Here’s what professionals have to say about it
Thriving or Surviving?
Updated on
3 min read

BENGALURU: In a short time, Bengaluru has gone from being a sleepy city to the IT capital of India with people across the nation coming here to build successful careers. But how does the city fare in supporting working women?

A recently released survey conducted by the Avtar Group put Bengaluru right at the top – overtaking Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad to become the best city for working women in India, based on criteria like city liveability, safety, women’s representation in employment, inclusivity of women in organisations across industries, transport, quality of life, and more. We asked professionals – is Bengaluru really the best place for working women?

KM Chaitanya, film director

The Kannada film industry has to go a long way in terms of inclusion. While we have a lot of women actors; technicians and women directors are few.

The scenario is changing now with more and more women stepping in and becoming cinematographers, editors, associate directors and quite a few successful directors. In terms of creating a safe working environment, there’s much that needs to be done. We need a committee of women who will oversee complaints about any kind of harassment at the workplace in the film industry.

Lahari, advertising professional

Within the creative industry in Bengaluru, there’s an expectation to put in extra hours regardless of your gender. But when you end up staying in the office until midnight, there are no provisions to get home safely. This is especially uncomfortable for women who travel great distances to get to work. Corporations tend to have better facilities for women employees but the contrast is very stark.

Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar, chef

I have worked all over India – in Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Goa, Kolkata, Guwahati, and Bengaluru. In the F&B industry, the ratio of women working as chefs is very low – it’s a very male-dominated field. But Bengaluru has more possibilities. When I worked in Goa, no bus was available after 6pm so we would give earlier shifts to women. But here, there are women in my team who take the bus home at 10pm and feel safe doing so and we have not had any issues.

Athul Madhav, programme manager, IISc Bangalore

When it comes to work opportunities for women, Bengaluru is far better than Thrissur, Kerala, where I grew up. The representation and opportunities women receive are actually positive, and they’re doing a really great job. However, when it comes to safety, I’m sceptical. Numerous horrific incidents involving working women have been reported in the media over the last two years. Personally, I know colleagues and friends who have experienced similar incidents. How can such a city be considered safe for women?

Preethi Srinivasan, tennis coach

As a tennis coach, I was definitely better recognised in Bengaluru compared to Chennai. I was not as guarded and didn’t have to worry too much about how others perceived me because people were minding their own business. The remuneration was also better in Bengaluru because of the higher standard of living. The traffic is really bad but you can plan around that and still have a good work-life balance.

Sneha Nair, student in Chennai

I moved to Chennai from Bengaluru and can say that Bengaluru is definitely more inclusive. I live in a hostel for masters students and working women. Even though they’re taking rent from the working women, they demand that parents be present for admission and call parents if they break curfew. It’s also common for flat owners to ask about their parents if renting to working women. They seem to think of women as dependents and not as individuals.

Subhashree M, student

One can see women from different cultural backgrounds in Bengaluru which is very comforting for women who are trying to live away from their homes. People in Bengaluru are also usually less judgemental than people in Chennai.

A woman can go out partying, wear what she wants or even go for a jog in the morning without feeling judged.

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