In a hard-hitting discussion on a private news channel, women from various professions and walks of life discussed a paradox that continues to haunt Indian workplaces: despite progressive laws, maternity benefits, sexual harassment committees and gender-sensitivity mandates, many employers still hesitate to hire women, and women themselves sometimes downplay the very benefits meant to help them. The tone was set by pointing out that benefits such as extended 26-week maternity leave, menstruation leave, mandatory women’s representation on internal committees, and permission for night shifts have ironically become reasons for hesitation in hiring women, especially in small and mid-sized companies.

A TV anchor pointed out many employers privately admitting they think twice before hiring women because , as per them, they have to be ‘extra sensitive’, give more leaves, more perks, and face the risk of complaints, adding that policies designed to protect women sometimes end up hurting their employment prospects. Another lady who runs a finishing-school-cum-alternative-MBA exclusively for women graduates, revealed that her 10-year-old institution has achieved an astonishing 95% workforce retention rate among its alumni.

She recalled her realization that women are more educated but less employed. The missing piece, she mentioned, was not academic knowledge but the soft skills, mindset and networks that help them stay and rise in the workplace. She stressed her famous hashtag campaign #DontQuit – urging women not to be the first to leave the workforce during family crises. A female advocate offered a blunt counter-view: not to forget that gender pay parity was still a “myth”. She recalled that one can get committed, loyal employees who give 110% at two-thirds the cost and termed it as the “unfortunate economic reason” many organizations still want women. She acknowledged, however, that implementation of POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) committees and other safeguards has vastly improved compared to two decades ago, even if gaps remain.

The sharpest criticism came for India’s much-celebrated 26-week paid maternity leave, fully funded by the employer with almost no government or insurance support. The founder of the finishing school pointed out that in countries where long maternity leave actually works, the cost is shared between employer, state and insurer. “In India the entire burden falls on the employer. In mid- and small-sized firms – where most jobs are created – this is simply unaffordable,” she said.

She cited anecdotal data and surveys showing that interview calls for women have dropped by nearly 25% since the 2017 amendment extending maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks. Start-ups that genuinely want to hire more women are now forced to think twice because they literally cannot afford to keep paying full salary when 50–60% of their young female workforce may go on six-month leave in a single year, she added.

A recurring theme was the need to move from women-centric policies to gender-neutral, family-centric ones. A female lawyer cited former US President Barack Obama’s shift in narrative from “working women” to “working families”. Panellists agreed that paternity leave, parental leave, elder-care leave, flexible hours and remote-working options should be available to all employees, not branded as “women’s benefits”. 

Another young college lecturer, representing the younger generation, said today’s women are tech-savvy, trained in self-defence, and unwilling to play victim. “We don’t want special treatment except where biology demands it. We want the same starting line, not constant hand-holding afterwards. When asked what one policy change her generation would demand, the lecturer replied instantly: “Structured mentorship – not just in offices but across life stages.” 

She opined that many grey areas around workplace behaviour and even sexual-harassment complaints would disappear if seniors and juniors, men and women, could speak openly and regularly without fear. The founder of the grooming school raised the often-ignored issue of transgender and intersex individuals who identify as women. She recalled that they are navigating workplaces with even less societal understanding and made it clear that others have a responsibility to pull them up too.

The consensus: India cannot afford to keep half its educated population under-employed. The policies are a start, but unless the care economy is restructured and the financial burden shared, the backlash against women in the workforce will only grow.