Delhi women look for jobs outside city, says study

Citing lack of safety concerns, around 43 per cent of women working in Delhi are willing to relocate outside the city even at the cost of a pay cut, according to a recent study.

The survey, conducted by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, included working women, students and job aspirants, all of whom said that women are exposed to an unsafe environment in Delhi. 

The survey ‘Women Safety in Delhi: Issues and Challenges to Employment’ is based on feedback of 3,400 women in Delhi. 

“In light of recent incidents that took place in Delhi, around 43 per cent of working women respondents unanimously felt looking for a job out of Delhi in other safe places, preferably in cities near their native towns, was better as Delhi has become unsafe for women. They are ready to compromise on their earnings for safety,” the survey said. It found that working women are inclined to work in day shifts with nearly 80 per cent of the respondents opting for day shifts. 

Further, about 9 per cent said that they work in flexible shift timings and nearly 7 per cent opted for rotational shifts as they said it helped them maintain a balance between their personal and professional responsibilities. A very small proportion of women respondents (4 per cent) worked in nights shifts. Around 64 per cent of working women said that crimes against women had impacted their productivity as they now hesitate to stay at their workplaces till late. 

A majority of women respondents (65 per cent) depended on public transport to commute to their destinations. 

Most respondents suggested increasing operational hours of the Delhi Metro as well as tracking through aerial surveillance and helicopters as followed by other developed countries.

The survey observed that the traffic police could play a major role in providing safety to the women in Delhi.