Give girls a chance

1. Give girls a chance
Bright young girls can decide on a career of their
choice and then get a grip on their finances

2. Ranjana came to work as a maid in my friend's house five years ago. She was
from a Konkan vil lage, where employment oppor tunities were limited. She
had attended the village school, but could not clear the board exam.
Working as a farm hand did not pay and the work was backbreaking. Today ,
she feels her decision to come to Mumbai and seek a job was the most
sensible one she has ever taken.
Since then she has passed her board exams and saved about `4 lakh, enough
to get her into nursing school. Her parents want her to marry , but she is in
no hurry.Young women are increasingly taking charge of their lives, and
getting married does not top the agenda. They view `settling down' as living
the life they wish for and it does not always include mushy romance with the
man of their life. They seek financial independence to wrest the life they
aspire for from the clutches of jaded stereotyping and misogyny .

3. Contd…
It is the season of examination re sults, and I can bet the list of toppers will be full
of names of young girls. Statistics about pass percentages and scores of schools,
colleges, coaching classes and states will show that girls have systematically done
better than boys. But what happens to these young stars in later years? We find so
few of them in positions of power, rank, authority and leadership. How do we still
land up with maledominated offices and governments?
How is it that half the population is engaged sub-optimally , in terms of
participation and payment? Women simply fall of the curve at some point, a
problem that has not been addressed satisfactorily .
The limiting stereotype that plays out is that of a young girl married off early, so
that the parents feel a sense of completion of filial duties. Burdened by the
responsibilities of the household, her career takes a backseat. When a child comes
along, many young mothers simply quit their careers or settle for something far too
less, but convenient.

4. Contd…
Young women who protest that they do not need a man to `complete' them are
emotionally blackmailed into submission, citing the questioning society's misplaced
concern for their safety, security and care. Except for rebels who refuse to budge, young
girls are not given the space to explore themselves and the world, but forced to operate
within the confines defined by parents, society, the husband and the in-laws.
This is why the Ranjana model appeals to me. She sought financial independence and then
used it to negotiate her way to pursuing her career of choice.Our young girls need that
bridge after they have qualified to get a job, to earn and seek the life they wish for. I recall
a focus group of young women working as call centre executives, salesgirls and teachers.
When I asked them about their financial goals, each said she was saving for her marriage,
unwilling to burden the parent with the expenses. It was also a goal they accepted as
important, having been tutored thus by their families.When we found out at the end of a
group activity that each one wanted something else from their lives, we asked them why
they would not direct their finances to those pursuits. The reaction was mixed-some asked
why not, while others worried about disappointing their families.

5. Contd…
We should provide our young girls a window of opportunity to use their financial
independence the way they wish. Instead of asking young girls to invest in gold
schemes, or do SIPs that will be encashed for their wedding, or investments that
will be their security when they go to a new home, we should encourage them to
build assets that will propel them in directions they want to take. For many young
girls, the first job is perhaps the first time they would stay out of their homes. New
places, new friends and new experiences can open up the world and enable them
to pursue their interests.
When I met a group of engineers, all girls, who had come to Mumbai from Chennai
to work for a technology firm, they were conditioned into believing that going back
was the better option. The ones who persisted did much better than peers who
returned. Young women who invested the initial years on their careers are better
off in many ways. Real life experiences teach valuable lessons that cannot be picked
up from books.

6. Contd…
Financial planning for young girls should begin with the mandatory module of savings and
investments that she can utilise in any way she chooses. Give the bright young girls a shot
at enjoying their financial independence to rework their lives, careers and choices. Even if
they remain in the traditional mould of marrying and bearing children, give them the
opportunity to achieve a few years of professional success and build a financial corpus that
is sizeable. That way they have a fighting chance of returning to work after taking a break
to raise a child.
Modern parents provide parity for girls when it comes to education and nutrition, unlike in
the past. That narrative should be extended to include the reality that bright young girls
systematically fall off the career graph. Enable them to build a financial cushion for
themselves, so they can make their professional and personal choices without
compromises. When I asked Ranjana about her marriage, she chuckled. Instead of being a
housemaid who marries a driver, she will become a nurse who can probably marry a
doctor, she told me. She would return to work in a hospital that has a crèche, without the
fear of being fired. That is why I love the Ranjana model. Women will figure it all out if we
give them the chance, the time, and the space.

7. For Details and Appointment contact:-
Parveen Kumar Chadha… THINK TANK
(Founder and C.E.O of Saxbee Consultants & Other-Mother
marketingandcommunicationconsultants.com)
Email :-saxbeeconsultants@gmail.com
Mobile No. +91-9818308353
Address:-First Floor G-20(A), Kirti Nagar, New Delhi India Postal Code-110015