[Monday Motivation] Meet the women who are pioneering change in a traditionally male-dominated profession
Trained by nShakti, Durga and Vijaya are encouraging other women to become financially independent by training them in a profession largely dominated by men
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Durga, 36, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu
At first glance, the small group of women who board the bus in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, don’t give the appearance of a group that is bringing about significant change in a traditionally male-dominated profession - house painting. Among them is Durga, a 36-year-old mother of two who is responsible for many of these women stepping out of their homes to join the workforce for the first time.
Durga, who trained with Nippon Paint's nShakti programme, has become a contractor and dreams of being a trainer and encourage more women to be financially independent.
“I first heard about this programme nShakti, that trained women to be painters, three years ago. I had gone to the Thozhir Sangam when a friend told me about this unique initiative. When I heard that the training was free, I decided to sign up,” she says in a conversation with SocialStory.
The 15-day training was intensive and they spoke to us about everything from safety to how to paint an entire house. Her enthusiasm was infectious and in no time, she had convinced 25 other women from the village to join her. Durga says that while her family was encouraging, they were worried about her taking it on as a full-time job.
“While there were some concerns about what people in the neighbourhood might say, they were more concerned about my safety. They were worried that I might hurt myself while working or find it too tiring,” she says.
Her neighbours were less encouraging. “Many told me that I should stick to my tailoring job that I was initially doing from home. They told me that painting was not a job for women. Some even told me that I was too old.”
Durga knows she was right to ignore them. “I’ve only been doing this job for three years now, and I am already the first female contractor from nShakti. And the money is also good. As a painter, I would make Rs 350 a day. Now, I make Rs 650 a day. I can choose when I want to work, and don’t have to go if I don’t feel like it,” she says, adding that sometimes, she works 30 days a month. “I don’t mind because we go everywhere as a group and it is a lot of fun.
She is grateful for her husband’s support, and says he has never opposed her ambitions. She also wants to encourage her children to follow their dreams. Her 18-year-old daughter dreams of joining the police force and her son, who is in the seventh grade, wants to start an agricultural business. “I want them both to follow their dreams and will support them in every way I can,” she says.
Vijaya, who joined Nippon Paint's nShakti programme in December 2020 painted her home during the lockdown, Which has gained a lot of interest from other women in the village who want to work as painters
Vijaya, 33, Marakathur, Tamil Nadu
Married into an agricultural family, Vijaya was raising her two children in her village in Marakathur at her in-laws’ home while her husband left for Chennai to work in a hotel. When the pandemic struck, he was forced to return home, and the family’s income took a significant hit. “I started going for a tailoring course. At the tailoring institute, a woman told me about this painting course specially created for women. I decided to sign up along with three women from my area.
“After the course, I started work, and I soon became good at it, and realised it was not as difficult as I thought it would be.”
But public perception is not easy to change, says Vijaya, explaining that people would be shocked when a team of women would turn up to paint their house. “It was difficult to convince them but once they saw our work, they would be convinced,” she says.
When the pandemic started, Vijaya thought that she would take a break for the safety of her family. “I have two young daughters and my in-laws also live with us. So I have to be extra cautious,” she says.
She says that she used the downtime to paint her house. “When the neighbours saw the work I had done, the same people who were gossiping about me going to work now wanted me to replicate my work in their homes.”
Vijaya recalls another incident when a family who had returned from abroad wanted their home in the village painted. “The team of women I work with gave them a quote, and we were surprised to find that they were ready to pay us four times as much.”
She says that she is thinking of returning to work next month, but only if things improve. “I miss my work, but my family’s safety comes first,” she says. Vijaya says that while she wants her children to get government jobs and secure their future, they have other plans.
“My 15-year-old daughter wants to be a doctor and my younger girl who is going into the seventh grade wants to do agricultural studies. She is very good with plants and is already tending to so many plants at home. I have been lucky to find what I love to do, and I want the same for them,” she says.
Edited by Anju Narayanan