By Ramaa Sonti

Nowadays, particularly during the pandemic stage when many are without jobs, any person doing a government job i.e., public service is looked upon in awe, some admiration, and a small amount of jealousy.

Yes, whatever is the situation, we are secured in our jobs, we get our paychecks, our annual increments and for some of us, life long pension is assured when we retire.

That’s it.

But then why women are not opting for these jobs?

Why is it always IT, teaching, MBA, or something fancy?

Why?

Women’s representation is less than 15 percent in government services.

The situation is worse at top government posts. In any Government department, women are more likely to be holding lower and clerical posts, the official data shows.

When our jobs are so secure, interesting too if you look at from the right perspective, why do less & lesser number of women are trying for government jobs?

The most important one is awareness.

The percentage of public service employees is dismally low in India, as a consequence of which not many are aware of the benefits including the job security involved in this.

For most of the general public, government service means where the employees sit in huge offices and where they go for menial works as a sanction of some license, some certificate and in case of my department to file returns.

For this article, I did a simple google search ..any Indian film where the woman protagonist is a government officer.

I found none.

Our jobs are not glamorous enough to warrant an entire film on them.

Secondly the parents.

For many, the life of a girl is divided into different stages, 

Exceptionally bright, educated understanding parents- she may write civil services

Good marks in +2, she will be a doctor, engineer, or an IT professional

If moderate- a teacher, a nurse, or any other professional 

the whole cycle is to let her finish her education, get a job somewhere good, and then marriage, all in this systematic order.

But, the very act of letting her complete her graduation and then allowing her a year or two to prepare for the staff selection or Bank job exam is very far from most of the parent’s mind.

Because these jobs and getting them to need a certain amount of mental capability, the preparation for them needs some coaching or at least a year of serious study of certain subjects including a fair amount of arithematic.

And lastly, these jobs are not advertised everywhere. earlier it used to come in the weekly employment news but now in the websites only.

So most of the Insta scrolling youth pass it through.

Way back in the 1980s when I decided to apply for the government jobs, my inspiration was a Tamil neighbor whose inspiration was someone else.

After my graduation when my parents expressed their inability to let me do my masters, I decided to do B.ED.

I nearly got the first teaching job I applied for, well, almost but then, I made the unforgivable mistake of correcting the interview board member when she said something regarding the politics of our country.

This proved to be a blessing in disguise. Irritated enough, I dropped the idea of being a teacher and concentrated on my stenography.

Challenges and hurdles if one wants to think so are many. Some are trivial enough to let go, and some touch a raw nerve somewhere.

I remember the initial days when I wore a salwar suit to the office, a lady Inspector took me aside and told me to wear a saree which will make me look more dignified and respectable.

I never listened to her but to be frank – from the way a  woman employee dresses to the way she mingles with her colleagues, everything is a  matter of discussion. ( I am talking about the earlier days)

Now, the situation regarding the dressing has changed but the gossip remains the same.

It doesn’t mean that we are not safe. A central government office is the safest place for a woman to work. Colleagues are duly considerate and let you work at your pace if one has any short term problem at home.

I been an Inspector in the investigative wing for close to 3 years. Been to many searches outside Bhubaneswar where I was the only woman. Nowhere did I feel threatened or made to feel uncomfortable in any way.

But then, we are always made to feel like secondary citizens. However much it’s opposed, one cannot deny the fact that most of the higher officials don’t take us as seriously as we deserve to be taken. 

Our postings are made strictly keeping our gender in mind.

The main drawback for us women is we don’t do the chai gossips. we don’t go outside to the nearest chai shop or sit with the colleagues and officers and discuss official matters post office hours.

We don’t have the privilege to sit in the male higher officer’s room and discuss at length about the posting of staff and how to do a certain amount of work for any length of time.

I don’t know about other cities but here, officers like me can go only when summoned or we have something urgent to discuss.

This inaccessibility of the officer sometimes makes us lose important information which may help us in doing our work better.

We are discriminated against, sometimes when we take leave for a certain amount of days, snide remarks were made forgetting the fact that these ppl have their wives at home looking after their every need.

It is tough to mow through the same amount of work to push through the glass ceiling, to being heard.

For many.. our job is cozy, comfortable with huge pay and lots of power and prestige.

But all this comes with a lot of hard work, careful planning, and single-minded dedication for securing the government job,  which most young girls are unwilling to pay.

The situation is slowly changing and  I see more and more young girls joining the government sector, hopefully, one day we will be treated as equals with no fear of faux passes. 

About the Author – Ramaa Sonti is an Income tax officer based in Bhubaneswar. She joined the department in 1992 as a Stenographer & worked her way up with a determined attitude. She has a Bachelor’s degree in science, a B.Ed is also a Masters in History. She loves reading and is also a writer, having penned short stories. She is particularly fond of writing humour & takes life with a pinch of salt & a spoonful of honey. She lives with her husband and daughter in Bhubaneshwar.