Issue 80: The Common Woman | Needs and benefits
This is Part 4 of an ongoing series on the common women touching our lives
I have known R for over six years now. And I will not be exaggerating if I say she’s one of my favourite people in office.
Come rain or shine, she has a smile on her face, a quiet efficiency about her person, as she goes about her daily housekeeping tasks.
But, this isn’t her performance review and I don’t want to fall into the “women are naturally good and patient at such things” trap.
R lost her husband early in life, saddled with the onerous task of bringing up a girl child. Because, girl children mean marriage expenses and no return on the investment of educating them after all.
R put her through college because, in her words, “madam, job toh important hai aur uskeliye padna zaroori hai” (Madam, job is important and for that, education is critical).
R’s day starts at 5am. She gets her home in order, packs her lunch and leaves for work, catching a “fast local” (the local train with minimal stops), followed by a shared auto to navigate the last mile, reaching office by 8am. It starts with a daily huddle where she aligns on tasks with her boss. And then the grind follows, ending with a 4pm shift followed by two hours to reach home.
But. That’s not the be all and end all of R’s work life.
Given her longevity in our office, she knows more of our visitors than sometimes we do, all of them having passed through the hallowed portals of this building at some point of time in their lives. And everyone who has moved on asks about her.
“Adept at stakeholder management”, R could write in her resume if only she had one.
R’s job offers her health insurance and eventual pension, “perks” that most of us in white-collared jobs would take for granted, basics that most people working similar jobs in unorganised sectors neither have nor know about.
I am glad R has held on to her job, initially only for sustenance and eventually for financial security as well.
And I hope we build better processes and structures for others like R who may not always end up in such steady jobs but still have the same needs as the ones with privilege - healthcare, old age support, assured income.
Because, “Build for Bharat” is really about building a sustainable future for the base of the pyramid, isn’t it?
Click through to read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three in the Common Woman series.