A career break is no full stop

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Friday , February 01, 2008 at 2345 hrs To recharge cells and devote more time to family, a career break sounds wonderful for a woman but a return to the job market after a hiatus may not be a shoo-in. You suddenly realize you have missed the bus and your past work experience does not cut ice any more with today’s bosses. Worse is, the break could turn into a permanent one if you are not willing to start all over again at a few rungs lower on the hierarchical ladder — which is the reality at ground zero.

That’s what many working women today are realising. Promises like sabbaticals, flexi-timing and working from home may sound good on paper, and organisations may be touting them as gender-inclusive policies, but the ground reality is different. Maybe, that’s why more often than not, women in their late thirties and early forties are converting their career breaks into permanent ones, or choosing self-employment as an alternative. That could also be one of the reasons why just a few women exist in senior management positions—the choice is decidedly narrow when home chores and professional responsibilities reach a peak. Data show a sharp drop in the proportion of women employees in India Inc—from the entry level (50%) to the middle (30%) and senior management (8%).

“It’s hard to come back to work after a break. And the longer the break, the more difficult it is. It is definitely very difficult in the technology world, as technology changes very fast, and your skills may have become obsolete,” says Tavant Technologies co-founder and VP, Nita Goyal. Goyal herself took just a month’s break when her first child was born, and dared to take a six-month break three years later when her second came along. Agreeing that she has been one of the luckier ones, she acknowledges that not too many companies are sensitive about the dual responsibilities women face.

“It is important to strike a balance between your personal and professional life after rejoining work. It is important for a woman to prioritise things as they do have to fulfill their commitment at the personal front. If you can balance out things properly, you can easily fulfill your requirements at work and at home,” says Vandana Khosla, creative director, Elvy Lifestyle.