Top 10 Careers For Women

As India is hit by the wave of Information Technology, education expands to meet the changing needs of the workplace. Women are gradually becoming more aware of their rights and career prospects. The modern Indian woman is breaking the glass ceiling and reaching new frontiers.

Earlier, almost every girl, after finishing high school, was saddled with pressure to get into a good medical school or engineering college. That is because, before social media came and changed the world; medicine and teaching were considered the only viable professions for women.

There were a few more that were considered ‘suitable’- nursing, teaching, office secretary, literature or a bank clerk. These were either ‘safe’ professions or suitable for the fairer sex who are seen, traditionally, as nurturing.

But with globalization and feminism, women are making breakthroughs and going into disciplines traditionally considered as male bastions. Let us take a look at the top careers preferred by modern Indian women:

Journalism 

Girls are choosing to study journalism and mass communication after high school. An increasing number of women can be seen working not just in print journalism, but in TV journalism as well.

Women reporters can be seen risking life and limb to report on stories in war zones and conflict areas as well.

And they are doing well in this discipline despite the long working hours and the risk that often has to be taken. They are also branching out into specific disciplines- like reporting on films, sports, or writing about business and economics etc.

Fashion 

Women are opting for fashion designing or fashion technology as an option. India today ranks third amongst Asian countries in the number of bloggers. Young girls today are earning amazing revenues through fashion blogging. Fashion journalism has also taken off to another level. Where we have established brands like the Bridal Asia & Harper’s bazaar magazine, there are new wedding magazines started by young women, that have come up and are going viral such as Wed Me Good, Wear Is the Discussion etc!

Social work 

Women are increasingly choosing this as a career option. Many social workers who work with NGOs and are involved in activism for women’s rights, child rights or other disadvantaged groups for women. Armed with an MSW or a Masters in Clinical Psychology, women are contributing to society in a major way.

Entrepreneurship 

Armed with MBAs from India’s premier business schools, like the IIMs, women are starting businesses of their own and eventually building successful corporations and industries.

Business

An increasing number of women are graduating with top honors from business schools, and becoming CEOs in top companies. If not, they are into other corporate professions- managerial positions, management analysts, business analysts etc. Today India has the highest number of women in the banking sector! Watch the most powerful woman in India heading it’s large bank: SBI

IT 

With the boom seen in the IT sector in the last few years, and with major Indian cities becoming IT hubs (eg. Bangalore), women can be seen working with top MNCs as software engineers. Math and computers, traditionally stereotyped as subjects men are good at, are now being increasingly studied by women. These professionals work with cutting edge technologies and can be seen at the top of their careers.

Arts and Humanities

These are no longer seen as the professions taken up as a ‘last resort’ by people who couldn’t get into medical or engineering college. Women are choosing to study fine arts, performance arts and humanities. These women, after qualifying, teach in universities or work in theatre, dance, and the movie and TV industry. Bollywood is, in fact, seeing more women directors nowadays. Documentary filmmaking is another field women are exploring these days.

Law Enforcement 

Many of the upcoming lawyers, cops and judges these days are women. Girls are also choosing to work in forensics as scientists and medico-legal professionals in state and national forensic labs.

Air Force

Girls are now breaking new ground and becoming fighter pilots to serve the country in armed combat. Traditionally considered a ‘manly’ profession, women can be seen donning the uniform and flying fighter planes and winning awards for their efforts.

Pharmaceutical Industry

As the healthcare industry rapidly grows around the world, and India becomes one of the biggest manufacturing hubs for drugs and other pharmaceutical products, women are opting to study pharmacy- often till the doctorate level. They’re branching out into medico-marketing, jurisprudence and advanced research in pharmaceutical sciences as well.