Women are powerful. Women are awesome. Women have come a long way, whether it is in education, career or any other sector. There has been an incredible increase in the percentage of working women in India over the years. 98% of Indian enterprises have at least one woman in senior management. This is in comparison to 90% globally. At this juncture, it is important to focus more on the well-being of women employees.
What is well-being?
Well-being is the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity. It also includes high life satisfaction, good mental health, the ability to manage stress and a sense of meaning or purpose in life. Generally, well-being is feeling well.
The five major types of well-being
The five major types of well-being are:
- Emotional well-being is the ability to practice stress management and relaxation techniques, be resilient and self-love.
- Physical well-being is the ability to improve the functioning of your body through healthy living and good exercise habits.
- Social well-being is the ability to communicate, develop a meaningful relationship with others, and maintain a support network that helps you overcome loneliness.
- Workplace well-being is the ability to pursue your interests, values and life purpose to gain meaning, happiness and enrichment professionally.
- Societal well-being is the ability to participate in a thriving community, culture and environment.
Let us know the difficulties women face in the workplace. This will help to fix up the issues relating to achieving optimal well-being.
The challenges faced by working women in India
In this new era, women are transcending boundaries. They are excelling in various sectors on par with men. Women play significant roles in the family as well as in the workplace. As a result, she pays high costs for physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. The major issues that affect Women are
Dual roles of women
Women play dual roles at home and in the workplace. Societal beliefs on the domestic role of working women impose an obstacle to her growth. Also, there are high levels of expectations in the workplace to perform better. Unrealistic expectations and societal conditioning make her stressed. This affects her well-being.
Gender bias and gender discrimination
The common setback faced by women in the workplace is gender bias. Women also face gender discrimination of equal opportunities and access to education. Women face unfair treatment at work due to organizational policies and processes. 55% of Indian working women experience stress because of gender bias and discrimination.
Sexual harassment at the workplace
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a major concern for the safety of women employees. Sexual harassment complaints have increased by 27% by March,2022. This is in the organized sector. There are many unreported cases in the rural and unorganized sectors.
Gender- pay gap
The gender pay gap is the difference between the average earnings of women and men in the workforce. India has a 25.4% pay difference between men and women. Though there is a notable reduction in the gap. Still, it is high by international standards.
Apart from the above, women face difficulties in the workplace, assaults, and exploitation. All these affect women’s well-being to a greater extent. Also, there is an increase in the mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
What employers can do to increase women’s well-being?
Employee well-being has its connection to higher productivity, dependability and work quality. Hence, their well-being is very important to the organization. To enhance well-being, organizations can plan policies involving the following:
- Reconciliation of work and care,
- Temporary withdrawal of work,
- Leave arrangement,
- Mental health support,
- Internal complaints commission (ICC) to register sexual harassment complaints and
- Professional support.
Know laws related to Women’s protection
- Sexual harassment of women at the workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act,2013. This Act seeks to protect women from sexual harassment in their workplace.
- In matters of public employment, Article 16 of the constitution guarantees equal opportunities.
- The maternity benefit bill, of 2016 offers a compensated maternity leave of 26 weeks. This is for the women working in the organised sector.
Apart from the above suggestions, women need to take every other measure to stay healthy. Women can seek professional help in all matters relating to psychological well-being.
To wrap up with the words of Verna Myers on women empowerment, “We are awesome, we are powerful, we are capable. Let’s use the power of each other, the world and the larger society”.
If you are an organization looking to implement EAP support, write to us at connect@cecureus.com. Visit our portal to book an appointment if you are concerned about yourself or a loved one. For more blogs, vlogs, workshop announcements, and event updates, visit our official website , www.cecureus.com.
