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| Work From Home: Challenges and Opportunities Towards Empowerment of Women | |||||||
| Paper Id :
17415 Submission Date :
12/03/2023 Acceptance Date :
23/03/2023 Publication Date :
25/03/2023
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| Abstract | India proudly celebrated its seventy-fifth year of independence this year, 2022. Corona pandemic which started (counting from first lockdown i.e., 22nd March 2020) had a huge impact on every aspect of life across borders. Government sector, private sector all had to confront new challenges with no time for becoming friendly with new technology and online teaching pattern. After a long vaccination drive all over the world we have achieved little stability and immunity against virus with more mutations keep arising. Disaster comes with opportunity also. Many jobs were performed from home, which includes education, office work, paperwork, meetings, software sector etc. flexible hours, self-paced work, emphasis on quality and completion of work without any formal codes as it is mandatory in premises of workplace, worldwide access for new resources, global connectivity, no rush hours and easy switch between work and home at the same place. etc. gives ample opportunities for men as well as women. This paper focuses on the way teachers in schools have accommodated in a very short span of time for online teaching and the hurdles faced by them, also advantages they experienced in this entire process. And future ahead in terms of online education and our system’s compatibility with it. Working women in primary schools of Lucknow and Kanpur included in this study. It will throw light on how work from home can prove to be a ray of light for the empowerment of women in more fruitful way. Proposed New labor law 2022, says forty-eight hours work must in a week i.e., 12 hours for four days and 3 days weekend off as a new working schedule as a part of many new labor reforms. And the purpose of this paper is to cover all the major dimensions of work from home pattern with already existing work culture. A sustainable environment for both education and working women is need of hour. | ||||||
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| Keywords | Empowerment, Education, Working Women, Online Education, Work from Home. | ||||||
| Introduction |
Profession depends on multiple factors. For example, education, family history, interest, passion, skill, merit, resources etc. we may say that none of the factors mentioned above indicates gender orientation. But yes, while we land on practical ground, we do find some professions called “Pink Profession”. Some careers are good for females. How we define “Good” careers suitable for women. Careers compatible with women’s responsibility of household well. For example: - teaching, nursing, doctor etc. many fields were considered not suitable for women specially defense services, field jobs etc. Today the scenario is different almost all fields have granted access to women to work on fields. But job or career of women is always considered secondary requirement and today also even after having a job government or private, will not take away her primary responsibility of child upbringing, household chores. Women’s job is like cherry on the ice-cream. An additional source of income along with main source of income from her male counterpart in the family. Many household services are available today on call (part-time / full-time house helpers available). But the question is about sense of responsibility a mother has towards her children as compared to hired services. problem is not in the work opportunities, or education because NFHS-5 reports clearly indicates the increasing status and participation of women in paid employment. Need of the hour is women friendly work culture in both government and private sector.
Corona pandemic and associated complexities along with complete lockdown for a long period of time, halted everything moving around. Things changed suddenly. For first few months’ basic online knowledge was used to complete work, but as time moved ahead along with lockdown need arise for new technology, applications, and training of people, accordingly, making them familiar with it. Biggest problem seen in the field of education where trainees were children. The fixed eight-hour schedule of both children and teachers halted. Many problems arise and associated consequences confronted by large mass of people. But yes, there were positive points also related to changing work culture that people experienced. |
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| Aim of study | Technology and Digital education are today’s reality. Since this pandemic situation aroused unexpectedly for the entire universe cutting across border, education sector was one of the many sectors heavily impacted due to this. Problem in switching to online education completely without proper infrastructure and training was a threatening situation for all including parents, students and teachers. Objective of this study was to come up with real life experiences of working women teaching online from their premises at home and what challenges faced by them and how they handled this and converted to an opportunity. Also, my interest was to explore this work from pattern especially in case of women and what would be its future. How this can be seen as a massive opportunity for well educated women sitting at home and can still contribute in work force. | ||||||
| Review of Literature | 1. Tanveer Kaur and Preeti
Sharma (2020) conducted research on challenges faced by working women amid
corona virus lockdown. The data for study collected from 44 respondents. The
study concluded that balancing office work with house work was challenging for
women. Women were working more than normal hours. 2. Dr.
Chokri Kooli (2022) conducted research on challenges of work from home during
COVID-19 pandemic in the UAE. The data for study was collected from 16 actively
employed women via interview method. The study concluded that challenges were
decreased family time, lack of digital knowledge, distractions present in home
interfering frequently in work space and time. Advantages were flexible mode of
work and comfort of home. 3. Balazs
Aczel, Marton Kovacs, Tanja van der Lippe and Barnabas Szaszi (2021) conducted
survey on challenges faced by researchers working from home. Total 704
respondents were included in their analysis by distributing online survey link.
The study concluded that work efficiency decreased for almost half of the
researchers but fraction of researcher found that lockdown period work
efficiency was more as compared to their normal time before. New arrangements
were demanded for work from home pattern. And similarly, researchers need to
generate more coping tactics for this pattern. Many respondents were positive
towards working at office due to team work, discussions.
4. Gargi
Banerjee and Indrani Pati’s (2020) review paper was based on relevant data and
information from 52 online print media outlets. This paper concluded that women
were overworked due to both responsibilities of office and household chores,
women were first to be laid off from jobs as compared to their male
counterparts and lastly increased cases of domestic violence and online
harassment of women recorded. |
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| Main Text | Challenges Confronted by
Teachers Both (At School Level and Family Level) A. At
School Level For online teaching
primary requirement was availability of resources. 1. Smart
Phone- for online teaching first and primary requirement was availability of
smart of phones in hands of each and every student as well as teacher. all
online teaching require face to face interaction. For this purpose, phone was
the basic prerequisite. Not just type of phone, but problem was also number of
phones, as one house has more than one child. (Only thirty-eight percent well
equipped with smartphones, whereas sixty-two percent lacked smart phones) 2. Internet
Connectivity- for online teaching continuous uninterrupted network connection
in high definition was required. Students coming from modest family and
economic background affordability was poor. And also, more members required
data demanding more internet charge which is costly. Also, teachers having
family was going through same situation. Data pack seemed insufficient (Only
twelve percent were having 2GB monthly pack and that also for personal use).
This resulted in inefficient studies. 3. Space
to take and attend classes- for healthy learning peaceful space was required
both for teachers and students. In home needed to be redefined as parallel work
place as per the requirement of online education. So far problem was that there
was no dividing line between workplace and home during online teaching, and
female teachers were performing two jobs at the same time and same place too.
so, first lockdown period was very challenging for female teachers. But with
second lockdown they were able to organize not just space but family members
too about her teaching responsibility towards children. 4. Training
of handling online teaching apps and delivery of content- it was the major
challenge that required enormous time. NISHTHA (Diksha app) training was given
to teachers but familiarity of teacher and student both come out to be very
tough to proceed and maintain the flow similar to physical classes. Also, there
was read aloud app. First lockdown was full of creativity both among teachers
and students, but second lockdown became burden, with increasing cases of
absentees online, lack of attentiveness, no written practice at home for given
work online and many more. 5. Due
to online classes phone number of teacher was distributed and it causes some
unintended consequences. (Unlimited phone calls from student for doubt
resolving issue, no fixed time, interaction to parents was very poor etc.) 6. COVID
duty and associated workload with threat of life had adverse psychological
effects among teachers. B. At
Family Level 1. Difference
between workplace and home shattered- adapting to new online teaching
environment was very tough. Preparing mentally oneself and also other members
of family for workplace environment at home was extremely challenging.
Especially family with younger children it was hard to make them understand
about online class timings and associated adjustments. 2. No
Secondary services available- Maid services for household chores were
unavailable, tuition services for children weren’t available, and all these
factors contributed in increasing the workload on teachers at home. Leaving no
time for teachers to relax and fill with enthusiasm for next day class. 3. Too
much academic work after class onscreen- even after all classes gets over,
teachers were loaded with tons of online assignment, training hours for online
content development, taking care of all academic requirements of own children, and
updating themselves with new technology and applications were tiresome work and
adding to it was onscreen time harmful for overall health as well. 4. Teacher
has to clear each and every doubt of her own children also because notes are
given online, if they are copying it or not properly. Because not every family
have educated parents who can themselves look after child’s daily school work
and studies at home. 5. Purchase
of smart phones for their kids lead to increased expenses. 6. No
qualitative family time left- during this period due to numerous engagements on
various fronts at home it became really tough for teachers spend some quality
time with other family members. This leads to unhealthy relationship between
husband and wife. And ultimately causes stress among teachers. 7. Cases
of domestic violence became enormously visible during lockdown as per
Government of India reports. So, in physical classes teachers are away from
home and at the workplace, they can work without interference, away from toxic
environment. But in lockdown things got worsened up and teachers found
themselves in unbearable situation. (In limited cases among respondents
accepted incidence of domestic violence) Advantages of Online
Classes As Per Teachers’ Experiences 1. Easy
switch between home and workplace after classes became easy for female
teachers. It means a lot for teachers. It directly saved them from rush hours,
traffic load, running fast in early morning, long distances towards schools, on
road travelling risks, interior school insecure environments. 2. Online
teaching allowed them to take classes in any adverse circumstances like heavy
rain, riots, strikes which causes schools to closed immediately and impact
regular classes. This system helped in positive way to maintain the continuity
of classes. 3. Comfort
at home is appreciated in maximum number of teachers interviewed. To deliver
maximum at workplace person should be mentally free from other interrupting
factors of daily routines. And especially among teacher it is a necessity. When
other factors affecting teaching of teacher get removed, they find themselves
in more creative and enthusiastic atmosphere. 4. Security
at home is largely taken as positive dimension of online teaching. Feeling
secure, at home is major issue for those teachers who are posted in faraway
places, interior places, and very few security facilities available nearby.
Places with rare public amenities. 5. Work
from home allowed teachers to design their own time schedule managing both
house and work together. It allowed them to look after house in breaks
in-between online classes. This pattern was responded more positively by those
teachers who are parent of young children under age of five, teachers with old
parents to look after. 6. Transparency
will increase- due to availability of lecture online and it’s monitoring
online, contributed in quality of education. 7. Knowledge
and women empowerment- due to online visibility of kind of lecture and way of
delivery of knowledge to students, teachers have to work harder, in more
creative way, and nine this process acquiring new knowledge in their respective
subjects will empower them with knowledge in true sense. It will no longer be
seven to two job. 8. Technology
friendly- Training young minds at early stage will definitely benefit them in
years to come. They will be having global access with all prerequisites
required to join hand internationally and reap the fruits of top educational
institutes. It will be like strengthening pedestal on which higher education
will stand firmly. 9. Education
will reach to the lowest strata of society and in this way, it will be in true
sense democratization of education. It will give access of quality of education
to way, even remotest areas.
10. Competition
will increase quality of education- With top ranking universities announcement
regarding opening of their satellite campus will give open opportunities to
students coming from modest background. It will increase quality of education
and competition among universities within country. Here applies Charles Darwin
theory of “Survival of The Fittest”. It will open opportunity for those
talented teachers who are not able to step outside will be able to deliver
their knowledge and expertise using online methods and ultimately benefit
students and society as a whole. |
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| Methodology | Researcher conducted in-depth, qualitative telephone interviews lasting between 50 and 70 minutes that inquired about respondents’ experiences about online teaching and associated difficulties confronted by them. All respondents belong to two districts of Uttar Pradesh- Lucknow and Kanpur. Researcher also utilized snowball sampling by encouraging interviewees to share my contact information with others who qualified for the study—primary school teachers in government schools on regular basis (parents, guardians, or caregivers for a child aged 5 or younger, including people preparing to care for an unborn child). This paper is based on data gathered by seventy-six (76) respondents. Telephone interviews are often deemed an inferior alternative to face-to-face interviews given the loss of nonverbal and contextual data and the presumption that they compromise rapport and the ability to probe for clarification (Novick 2008). However, evidence does not suggest they produce less valid data, and phone interviews may allow for even greater rapport and respondent comfort (Novick 2008). People prefer phone interviews over face-to-face interviews due to number of factors like, time-constraint to fix meeting, presence of children around break the flow of interview. So, respondents often choose qualitative time to respond to my questions. And government guidelines following the protocol of pandemic face-to-face interview was not possible. Though Researcher personally met many of my respondents when there were announcements from government about relaxation in protocols. But follow-up telephone interviews were done to gather data. |
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| Conclusion | Women are always multi-tasking and so are their huge list of challenges. Being working mother is like performing two full time jobs. And this situation is really exhausting for most of the mothers of younger children. As answered by eighty-nine percent of the respondents. Among them ninety-seven percent were mother of young children. After long years of service (nearly 10-15 years) women were comfortable at both places i.e., work and home. Pandemic situation and lockdown contributed in their challenges but also shown a ray of hope in terms of work from home pattern. Policy makers can come up with more fruitful way of welcoming women in paid employment along with accepting their different needs (especially mother of young children <6 years). Like flexibility in work schedule, nearby campus residence, nearby postings, facilities of creche on ground reality, Technological training on their own pace of time, easy switch allowed between online and offline classes Work from home can act as supporting factor for physical classes instead of alternative to it. In terms of resources developed countries are far more equipped and trained with resources as compared to developing countries. Vision is very important, to foresee upcoming unintended circumstances and getting prepared accordingly. Paperless homework’s via mail, online notebook checking, parent teacher meeting in online mode etc. was already in practice in developed countries. For developing countries long journey need to be covered. Among other factors computer literacy among teachers and students is equally important. As many respondents find it difficult to manage online tasks easily. Along with many students were also in same situation. Digital infrastructure is need of hour and it require step-by-step implementation. More research requires to explore more dimensions in work from home pattern and its connection to women empowerment. | ||||||
| Suggestions for the future Study | In online teaching specifically for younger children, learning seems out not very fruitful. But it will be very early to reach to this conclusion. Pandemic situation was never planned, but yes, they made our system aware of possible threats and associated consequences. And it requires time, resources, training and familiarity with new technologies and applications in field of online teaching. Absolute online teaching is not for younger children and elementary education because those students from prep class to intermediate level need attention and environment. And higher education gives critical thinking and cognitive level of understanding among students. For these multiple activities in colleges are essential part in development of overall personality of student. Exposers to outside world give them opportunities to think ahead in a larger canvas. A blend of both online and offline classes is the need of hour, as it will encompass all hurdles mentioned above. It may prove to be more efficient way of learning for students as well. It will give access to knowledge scattered around the globe encompassing time and space constraint. And today with launch of 5G teachers can more effectively interact with students in virtual set up exact copy of physical classes. In hard times like that of corona pandemic, our education system won’t collapse. And with proper training in days to come more efficient classes can be delivered. As per data made available by NFHS-5 total fertility rate has reached 2.1. It means on an average people today prefer small families. After achieving average family size and children start their schooling, mother left with ample time which can be utilized in number of works. Women not stepping outside home can also contribute if opportunities meet the demands available in home. Home based production, e-content development, interactive educational video development, online tuitions for weak students (studies) etc. Entire problem of women policies lies in root of making women exactly equal to men. But we should be cautious while making policies for women empowerment in light of such false assumptions. Men and women are biologically different, and so are their natural responsibilities (by default in-built in them). As a part of society at large we put genders in hierarchies i.e., men work is superior over women work. And this false statement circulated rapidly among care takers of society. Today scenario is changed to a large extent both at public and private level. But section of feminist directing average women in direction where women should get assimilated in role of men. And this is the biggest threat to society. As our literacy rate is increasing, we see many girls stepping outside their set boundaries and completing their education. These educated young mind when look for employment opportunities, they must be aware of challenges and responsibilities they are going to bear in future on workplace. Policies should address differences between male and female and so their challenges. Government should try to provide facilities to working women in terms of their different needs. |
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| References | 1. B, A., M, K., Lippe T, V. d., & B, S. (2021). Researchers working from home: benefits and challenges. PLOS ONE 16(3): e0249127 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0249127, 1-13.
2. Banerjee, G., & Pati, I. (2020, december). Women working from home during COVID-19: An analysis. Parikalpana- KIIT Journal of Management, 16, 173-191.
3. Kooli, C. (2022). Challenges of Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic for women in the UAE. Journal of Public Affairs, e2829.10.1002/pa.2829.
4. Novick, G. (2008). "Is There a Bias Against Telephone Interviews in Qualitative Research?". Research in Nursing and Health, 31(4), 391-98.
5. Sharma, P., & Kaur, T. (2020). A Study on Working Women and Work from Home and Coronavirus Pandemic. Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, 1400-1408.
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7. https://www.researchgate.net
8. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com |
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