Child or Career? – A big dilemma for women working in IT.

TechnoparkToday.com > In this emerging era of IT industry this is the question which most of the women employees face in their day to day life. If I choose career who will look after my child? Or else if I choose child then what about my career dreams? Lots of questions arise in their minds. The answers to this are still unknown. Why such questions suddenly arise in their minds? Of course due to the leave structure provided for Maternity days.

Most of the IT women employees get around 3 to 6 months leave for maternity. Majority take this leave before the maternity dates also. In this new era of changing climatic situations there are lot of complexity in all maternity cases, so taking rest before this is part of life. After the child’s birth when they demand for more leave, the higher authorities deny the same and there are not much choices other than going back to office . The child may be a month old and the mother accepts the same. The option of half day working, loss of pay, work from home are the patterns been taken by these IT women.

As a result of this neither they are able to look after their babies nor are they are able to concentrate in their personal health. Many such women face lot of health issues and even can’t go for next kid also. In some of the IT firms, when they think a women is getting married, the first question the higher authorities ask you is “So when are going to conceive a Baby?” This might feel like a joke in front of your colleagues but this is a forward strategic planning the authorities make about that women’s career. Even some of the firms even deny you a job change if you are pregnant.

One such Lady who has excellent qualification and career record tried for a career change to her hometown when she was pregnant. Her career track record was so impressive yet the firm denied a job and reason they told is “You are pregnant, so you will take leave soon, we cannot afford an employee who will take leave for 6 months right now, we are sorry”. What else she can do than just to listen the same and even think is my baby’s existence a problem in my career. Another such lady wanted to finish the work as soon as possible before her maternity leave and sat for long working hours, what resulted was a miscarriage which she couldn’t bear in her life.

Just like laptops, mobiles and tablets now breast pump is a common gadget for new age Moms. They fill the bottles and leave their newborns in the hands of servants or their old-aged parents. Entire day they sit and work thinking what their babies are doing back at home. They are unable to see their smile, nor they toddling pranks. What they gain is nothing when compared to all these loss.

These women are afraid to raise their voice because if they do anything it will result in Pink letter, or no appraisal for the hardship she did. Majority of the women enter IT industry through Campus recruitment and they are completely unaware about employment Act and employee welfare. They start their work at 8am or 9 am and keep on working for 10 to 12hrs also. Many such women are even afraid to get married thinking that their career would end after marriage. Parents of such women are sad about such a decision from their children. Those who get married even decide not to conceive thinking about career.

Author – Priya Lekshmi