Returning women professionals in India: What organizations need to do to attract, develop and retain them

Abstract

Various studies place urban workforce participation of women in India below 15%. In addition to this, there is a very high drop-out rate of women from the workforce due to a variety of socio-cultural factors. As organizations vie for the best talent, an important talent pool is qualified women who dropped out of the workforce at some point but are willing to return to work. This article outlines the benefits organizations can gain by employing Returning Women Professionals (RWPs). It then goes on to highlight and study the specific considerations required to attract, assimilate and retain RWPs. Additionally it examines the need for sensitization, providing RWP’s a career path and challenges associated with employing RWP’s. Finally, it covers existing RWP programs prevailing in India.