Impact of Patriarchy on Middle-Class Working Women in India
1. Dual Burden of Work
- Women perform 3 times more unpaid domestic work than men (Time Use Survey, 2019).
- Balancing career and household duties creates stress and limits professional growth.
2. Wage Gap & Glass Ceiling
- Women earn 19% less than men for the same work (Monster Salary Index, 2023).
- Few women in leadership roles due to biases in promotions (Only 4% CEOs in India’s top 500 firms are women).
3. Workplace Discrimination & Harassment
- Unequal access to opportunities (e.g., maternity penalty, reluctance to hire married women).
- Sexual harassment at workplaces, despite the POSH Act (2013), remains underreported.
4. Social Expectations & Mobility Constraints
- Pressure to conform to traditional roles (e.g., quitting jobs post-marriage).
- Restrictions on mobility due to safety concerns and social norms.
Conclusion
Despite progress, deep-rooted patriarchy limits middle-class working women’s financial independence, career growth, and personal choices, requiring structural reforms and mindset change.
