This week, we are based in Kottayam, Kerala, India, working with Archana Women's Centre (AWC), an organisation dedicated to expanding women's employment opportunities through training, childcare support, and community-based programming. Unlike the Self Employed Women's Association, AWC emphasises training women to work in historically male-dominated fields such as carpentry, construction, and welding, in addition to box-making, cooking, and coir-making.
I was particularly inspired by the carpenter we met; she explained that she learned carpentry in her 50s over a six-month course with AWC. After perfecting her craft, she was honoured with an award for her excellence in carpentry. She showed us the various projects she was working on, including a child's crib and a cabinet. I was struck by the mix of technical skill, creativity,
When visiting AWC, I was reminded of a panel I had the opportunity to attend at Columbia University's School of International & Public Affairs, in which the previous head of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), Laura Kavanagh explained that
Women don't gravitate towards lower paying jobs, they are told they would be bad at higher paying jobs.
She emphasised the significance of a diverse labour force, explaining that the FDNY needs to hire male and female firefighters, as men tend to have greater strength and women tend to have greater agility and oftentimes can fit into smaller spaces. Although firefighters are compensated well, women rarely consider this line of work, in part, due to false assumptions that women are not strong enough nor resilient enough to do such work.