Gender stereotypes have been nurturing in the employment sector for long. Jobs involving more physical stress and laborious mechanical work have been marked as a male bastion, while careers such as teaching, nursing, beauty industry have been considered the territory of women for years. However, the scenario is changing and the conventional jobs, for which only men were considered, are finding more women takers.
Women are increasingly taking up courses such as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mechanics, warehouse packer, and mine welder among others under Government of India’s Skill Development and Entrepreneurship’s premier schemes. These courses earlier had no women candidates, but recently, a few women have enrolled in these courses and their number is increasing day by day. This shift is also credited to employers in automation and mechanical industry as they have become open to hiring female employees. Similarly, their presence in other non-traditional roles such as those in electronics and hardware has been significantly increasing, with a large number of female enrollments under the ‘Field Technician – Computing and Peripherals’ job role in this sector.
Voluntary Health Association of India under MNCP project laid emphasis on linking girls with Government flagship programmes on vocational training as a part of Marriage No Child’s Play (MNCP) project. Due to patriarchal social norms and stereotypes, parents were initially reluctant to enroll their daughters in these non-conventional training courses. Despite their resistance, in 2018, VHAI was able to organize 3 months computer training courses in 2 batches for 40 adolescent girls at the local level. It was an eye opener for girls and parents as 30 per cent girls got placement opportunity after completion of the course.
In the year 2019, after a series of consultation with girls and parents, VHAI planned to organize one-month mobile repairing training course for out-of-school adolescent girls. The project personnel with support from community leaders along with front line health workers were able to convince some of the girls and their parents. Finally, 15 out-of-school girls joined the first batch training as per the selection criteria.
The training for the first batch of out-of-school girls was organised successfully during October-November 2019. After the completion of the course, the project extended start up support to 10 trainees to start their mobile repairing units at local level. This initiative not only created an impact in the lives of these fifteen girls, but also left a strong message at the community level that girls can make their career in electronics and hardware- a sector considered to be male territory.