There’s no denying that India is a force to be reckoned with in the global business landscape, thanks to its strong start-up culture, emerging unicorns, growing gig economy, and more. Yet, women’s participation in workplaces remains painfully low in the country.
According to the Gender Gap Report 2021 published by the World Economic Forum, only 22.3% of women in India participate in the labor market, which translates to a gender gap of 72%. Yes, you heard it right – a whopping 72%!
So, what does it take to increase women’s participation at workplaces? To begin with, it calls for a massive change in the traditional office culture and practices, and that’s where coworking offices can make a world of difference. Let’s check out how coworking can help improve women participation in workplaces:
How Coworking can help improve women participation in Workplace
- By Offering Special Packages to Promote Female Entrepreneurship
- By Creating Networking and Learning Opportunities
- By Increasing Funding Prospects
- By Providing a Safe, Secure, and Supportive Environment
- By Making Workplaces Accessible to Women
- By Offering a Space Devoid of Distractions
- By Being Inclusive to Working Mothers
1. By Offering Special Packages to Promote Female Entrepreneurship
Often, women are forced to slow down their careers due to financial constraints. Shared offices address this issue by giving discounts to female members on membership fees, partner events, and value-added amenities.
For instance, The Office Pass (TOP), one of the leading coworking operators in India, currently offers an additional 10% discount on membership for women. The pay-as-you-use plans are also beneficial for women-led start-ups and female entrepreneurs who are strapped for cash.
2. By Creating Networking and Learning Opportunities
Women’s participation in workplaces is directly proportional to the opportunities they receive – the more networking and business opportunities they get, the better their participation and growth will be. However, according to the LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021 for the Asia Pacific, women continue to receive fewer opportunities than their male counterparts.
Coworking offers women at work several avenues for learning, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. Female entrepreneurs are more likely to find potential collaborators in a shared office than in a traditional workspace. The networking events and mentorship programs offered by coworking operators further help them widen and strengthen their professional network.
3. By Increasing Funding Prospects
Access to funding can make a huge difference to women’s workplace participation. However, the funding scenario is bleak for women entrepreneurs in India as it is in other parts of the world. Study after study shows that there is a glaring gender gap in VC financing and other types of funding.
Shared offices provide women entrepreneurs with the right kind of support and resources they need to attract investors. The networking forums and events conducted by coworking providers also double as platforms where investors can identify and tap into the ever-growing potential of women-led businesses.
4. By Providing a Safe, Secure, and Supportive Environment
For women to be able to participate and excel in workplaces, they must first feel supported, safe, and secure. As shared offices are committed to gender equality and devoid of gender-based power politics, women feel safe and confident to speak their minds and express their ideas. Additionally, most shared offices are equipped with CCTV cameras for additional safety and security.
Likewise, coworking offices help create affinity among women occupants and form informal support groups. Since many women entrepreneurs go through similar difficulties, they can help one another by sharing professional feedback, resources, and references.
Also Read: Why Coworking Space is Ideal for Women Entrepreneurs
5. By Making Workplaces Accessible to Women
A long commute to work is a problem for everyone, and even more so for women juggling multiple responsibilities. Often, they end up missing networking opportunities and workplace events because they cannot stay after office hours. Add to that the safety concerns of traveling alone at night, women’s workplace participation naturally drops.
Neighborhood coworking serves as a safer option for women in this regard. It helps reduce the commute time, allows them to work not far from home, and prevents safety risks associated with late-night traveling. As women’s access to workplaces increases, so does their participation.
6. By Offering a Space Devoid of Distractions
Though many women choose to work from home due to familial commitments, the WFH model is not necessarily a productive option for them. As per a study by Kearney, women working from home experience the burden of domestic chores five times more than their male counterparts. It adversely impacts their workplace participation and might also slow down their careers.
Coworking helps improve this situation to a considerable extent by offering women a feasible alternative to working from home. It provides them with a fully-equipped professional space devoid of distractions, where they can fully attend to their professional commitments.
7. By Being Inclusive to Working Mothers
It’s a known fact that traditional workplaces treat working mothers and fathers differently. Working fathers are hailed as breadwinners of the family while working moms are often considered a liability by many employers. Consequently, the gender gap further widens, and women’s workplace engagement plummets.
Working moms juggling professional and familial commitments need an inclusive workplace that offers flexibility and support. Shared offices are inclusive and flexible spaces where working mothers can thrive. Many coworking operators offer amenities like crèche, play areas, and other childcare facilities as a measure to enhance women’s workplace involvement.
To Sum It Up…
More and more women and female-led businesses are turning to coworking, and it is easy to see why. As safe and well-equipped workspaces for women to grow, thrive, and support one another, shared offices are the need of the hour and the future of India’s women entrepreneurship.
