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It often doesn't matter what credentials a woman employee has in a sexist society - looks are all that matter. To get chosen or rejected in the interview.
It often doesn’t matter what credentials a woman employee has in a sexist society – looks are all that matter. To get chosen or rejected in the interview.
“What did you see in that girl?”
“Everything!”
“Come on! There were such good candidates, really deserving ones. And you chose that dimwit?”
“But she has all the qualifications and qualities her post needs. What more do you want? And everyone needs time to learn, isn’t it?”
“Oh really? She has a degree and little experience. Other candidates were much better qualified. And she didn’t even perform well in her interview. What exactly were you thinking by the way?”
“Take it easy, mate!”
“See, I have been observing her for the past one week, and I can confidently make a claim that she is just not interested in her work. She just loiters around, trying to make friends with everyone in the office, especially her seniors. No doubt, she’s got the gift of the gab.”
“Well, isn’t she beautiful?”
“So, that is it!”
“Come on! You are no saint either!”
“I am not. But I have certain ethics.”
“Dump them and go back to work. Meanwhile I have some important business to tend to. Could you please send the new girl to my cabin?”
“Sure, and enjoy!”
“Hey Neha, how are you?”
“I am great. What’s up?”
“Good, good. You didn’t hire Vimla. Why?”
“Vimla? Who?”
“The maid. She visited you day before yesterday. She had such good credentials. I am really surprised you didn’t hire her.”
“Yeah. You are right. I didn’t.”
“But why? I have known her for a long time. The family she used to work with has just moved to London. She has two children and a chronically sick husband.”
“Yeah, she told me that.”
“So?”
“So? Have you seen her?”
“Why? Yes, I have. Her former employer Mansi is one of my very good friends, and I visited her often. I often gorged on the sumptuous food prepared by Vimla at Mansi’s place. She is polite, hard working and reliable. Too bad Mansi’s family has moved.”
“And you didn’t tell me that she was so pretty.”
“What?”
“And have you seen her figure?”
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“She is too beautiful to be a maid. And the brand new cotton suit she was wearing! Oh God! She wasn’t even dressed like a maid.”
“What are you talking Neha? Tell me, how is a maid supposed to look?”
“Not so pretty, not so smart. I can’t have such a beautiful woman around my house.”
“You are one jealous woman. But what do you fear? Your husband is a gentleman.”
“I know. Still! Also, I don’t want to confuse my guests.”
“But you always talk about women empowerment. I have seen your posts on social media. You’ll be doing exactly what you preach by hiring a jobless illiterate woman who’s really good at household chores. Besides, you need a maid.”
“Yeah, I do. And I am all for women empowerment, in every sphere of life. But, such a good looking maid? Not in my household please.”
“(Silence)”
“Please find me another maid – a good, reliable and honest woman.”
“With the looks of maid, right?”
“(Silence)”!!
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Journalist, photographer, blogger who loves to chronicle everything from mundane to magnificent. https://shobharanagrover.wordpress.com/ read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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