Me, The Change: India’s First-Time Woman Voter Wants a Career

Why does India’s young woman voter want to work and what does she want to be?

79 percent of young women voters in India have said that they want to work after their studies. 

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

India’s young first-time women voters want to work after their studies and are even willing to move cities for a better job, the Lokniti-CSDS-The Quint survey has shown. Conducted as part of The Quint’s ‘Me, The Change’ campaign, the survey has shown that while there are several different reasons for the young woman voter to work, 79 percent of the total women respondents want to do so.

The survey asked 5,000 first-time women voters across the country about their wants and aspirations with regard to aspects of life such as education, health, career and personal freedom. So what do India’s first-time women voters think about their careers?

The First-Time Women Voter Is a Student

The survey has shown that overall, 41 percent of the women surveyed have said that they are students. In towns, this number is nearly half the population of young women, while in villages, it is 35 percent.

According to the survey, 27 percent of all the women said that they were homemakers. This number was seen to be higher in villages, where 34 percent young women are homemakers.

She Wants to Work

The survey has shown four out of five young women are looking to work after their studies.

This means that 79 percent of all young women want to work, while 14 percent of them said that their decision would depend on the situation.

In villages, the percentage of young women who want to work is 78 percent.

According to the survey, the most popular choice of a career was that of a teacher. 24 percent of the women surveyed said that they considered teaching the ideal job, a preference which was higher among young women in villages.

The survey also showed that young women are willing to move cities in order to take up a better job.

Why Does She Want to Work, Though?

The young woman voter has different reasons for wanting to work, the survey has shown. According to the data, 27 percent of all women want to work to earn money, while 26 percent women work with the aim of being self-reliant.

The survey also showed that 21 percent women want to work to earn respect in society.

One out of ten young women also said that they work out of necessity.

However, in villages, young women prioritise earning money over the other reasons, with 29 percent of them stating money as their reason for working. 13 percent of them also said that they work because they like their work.