A man on a career break is considered an “unstoppable force” that voluntarily decided to pause, devote time to family and contemplates his true purpose in life. But a woman on a career break is considered an “unstable force” that voluntarily decided to stop, devote time to family and contemplates her true purpose in life.
For both men and women, dropping out of the pipeline in the wake of burgeoning familial responsibilities is a tough decision to make. However, as is evident, a lot more is on the line for women, owing to the above unscientific binary. And these biases tend to multiply exponentially, the longer their career break lasts.
According to a recent Catalyst report, 140 women held 12.4% of board seats and just 3.2% of board chairs in 2017, a figure that can only be explained by corporate India’s inability to help women strike a work-life balance, and their failure to tap into the talent pool of women who are ready to return to the workforce after a career break.