[bmw_lover]

1. This is a welcome step for women as it gives them an oppurtunity to apply to one more field of jobs. Which till now had been a male bastion. Hence increased job opportunity specially in non metros where women empowerment has still a lot to catch up.

2. It may inspire women to enter into technical fields of education (local engineering institutes) which too is dominated by males. IIT's and IIM's always have more male students.

3. Its an opportunity for authorised dealers to reduce costs as women staff is generally paid less than their male counterparts. Though i am not advocating for this.

4. Should prove beneficial to existing male staff. As with the entry of women, the owner of the workshop may have to improve the working conditions a little.

5. Beneficial to customers also as women staff in laborious positions are generally/comparatively more active, honest and hard working. They generally do justice to their job not just lip service. Just sharing personal experience from my textile factory.

6. As for the issues of exploitation, sexual harassment et al. These wrong doings are prevalent everywhere be it administrative, accounting jobs, big or small firms, India or US. But that doesn't mean women stop going out. These are problems that women sadly will just have to power through. These prospective women technicians are not safe at home or markets too. So why not just get over this fear(albeit with caution) and start to live/make their life.

7. As for the harassment issues cropping up for the management, i am sure they have to deal with these even when they employ women only for senior/administrative positions. These are rarely a big enough deterrent. As it is the entry of women technicians will only improve the gender balance thus making the service centers more safe for existing women staff.

[anilv4]

Originally Posted by GTO

I don't think my opinion is going to be the popular one, but this is quite a pointless exercise (other than PR benefits). Authorised dealerships are anyway safe & structured work places, following strict guidelines by car manufacturers. Women are welcome + comfortable there, as evidenced by the increase of women in the sales force. I don't see why any lady technician would have trouble finding a job in any Mahindra workshop (or that of any other manufacturer).

I think it is difficult for ladies to prove themselves to others that they are capable in a manually intensive mechanical job. Hence it is difficult to find a job in those areas. Having a dedicated platform for ladies will help them to showcase their capabilities and change the overall mindset.

[rovingeye]

At my workplace, a large part of my operations team is dominated by females, who work the phone all day long, talking to clients and prospect. When I wanted to help them by providing them with handsfree calling gear, there was a lot of reluctance from a majority of them. Know why? Because it would spoil their "hair style".

In a job that routinely involves getting grease on your face and wearing dirty workplace clothes, I really, really doubt this well intentioned move from Mahindra will take off at all. I'd certainly like to be proven wrong.

[prashant316]

Marketing and PR. Currently that's the true benefit of something like this.

Though its still a good initiative to show that women can partake in what still is a male dominated profession. I hope pay gap is not an issue here and that this is the beginning of something larger in the industry.

[satishv1987]

Originally Posted by GRAND23

My point boils down to capability. If female employee has that capability then she will gain that position no matter who dominates the company.

It is easier said than done. There are ingrained biases in the recruitment processes across sectors. For e.g., Say a recruiter in the IT sector has to choose between a guy and a woman. Lets assume both are equally capable and are of the same age. The recruiter is more likely to pick the guy because

a) The guy will be more willing to work over weekends. The burden of domestic responsibilities lie heavily on women and as a result they cannot always work on a saturday/sunday.

b) If the woman is young, then the recruiter will have second thoughts about hiring her. "What if she decides to start a family? She will go on maternity leave. Who will fill in for her?"

I have listed just 2 reasons which weigh the scale heavily in favor men. In labor intensive sectors such as the automobile industry, it will be even harder for women to carve a space for themselves on the shop floor. Shop floors might be very safe. I am not disputing that. But if the person hiring thinks " She might not be able to lift heavy equipment/She will not want to stay late to address customer complaint", the woman's chance of getting hired is next to nil.

[VijayAnand1]

I absolutely don't bother it's men or women. As long as the work and dedication and the right inputs provided to each car and the trainee, the results will definitely reflect that. It's not about women empowerment or man empowerment, it's collectively us that benefit from a good initiative. I hope M&M trains them well, with the right equipment, and what not, this should be a success, and a job well done.

Cheers!
VJ

[GTO]

Thanks to Debdas for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

This is not the first instance of women working as mechanics in the automotive industry. In fact, KSRTC has women mechanics working, repairing and fixing bus engines. This was in the news recently.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...le26457999.ece

https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.c...w/68349332.cms

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

I think I had read somewhere on this very forum on the equality of outcome , as opposed to equality of opportunity.

The recently and increasingly popular psychologist Jordan B Peterson promotes equality of opportunity over equality of outcomes, in matters of gender equality.

His clinical research data makes him say that left to themselves, men and women have distinct interests and that all we have to do is provide them with equal opportunities. They'll find their way where they may. (His research tells him and us that men are interested in things whereas women are interested in people and career choices diverge from that point onwards...)

[Turbohead]

Here's another perspective.

Ever wondered why some of the pretty women (the ones who aren't necessarily bright/ competitve many a times) end up in top MNCs with good pay while the rest of your dudes, with a competitive CV, end up being rejected?( I've seen it with my own eyes) It's because pretty women will motivate the younger men( betas to be specific) to work harder and groom themselves better in order to impress the opposite sex.It may even excite them to turn up for work just to check her out. It's a simply a biological and natural way to motivate the workforce although it can go (and is) wrong on so many levels.

M&M has played it smart in my opinion! Young men working in these labor intensive jobs usually don't get paid well and tend to jump jobs very quickly. Many of them would be deprived of women in their lives(not all). Suddenly having a workshop with women in the workforce becomes an attractive option (depending on how well the women workers are trained and handle the job because if they pile it on the guys, it won't serve its purpose). But today I'm not sure how things will be considering #metoo can get you fired without any internal investigations. Also hygiene and facilities will improve and benefit everyone.


But all said, it will greatly improve the options for employment for women in the lower sections of society as they struggle the most to make a living! And for that point alone, kudos to M&M!

[adi.mariner]

Good initiative by Mahindra. Looking at the size of the workshop (2 service bays), it seems to be good only for the routine servicing (filters/oil change). The onus is now on the staff working there to repay the faith shown in them by Mahindra and Kalyan Motors, Jaipur to provide a good service to their customers.

[landcruiser123]

Useless PR exercise. I don't find this newsworthy in this day and age.

Originally Posted by locusjag

His clinical research data makes him say that left to themselves, men and women have distinct interests and that all we have to do is provide them with equal opportunities. They'll find their way where they may. (His research tells him and us that men are interested in things whereas women are interested in people and career choices diverge from that point onwards...)

I'd suggest reading this book- Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps. You'll understand exactly why some jobs are male dominated. Not that women can't work in those fields, but they need to be exceptional/work harder to get in.

[avdhesh15]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Mahindra has inaugurated what is claimed to be India's first women-run automobile service workshop in Jaipur.

I would want to get an update on this after 3-6 months. Just to understand if my current opinion (PR exercise) was correct or not.

[charanreddy]

Originally Posted by satishv1987

It is easier said than done. There are ingrained biases in the recruitment processes across sectors. For e.g., Say a recruiter in the IT sector has to choose between a guy and a woman. Lets assume both are equally capable and are of the same age. The recruiter is more likely to pick the guy.

Politely disagree. If you go to any college , you will find that the women students are always almost placed first vs equally qualified male students. In some cases both the college management and interviewers are really open about it. I will not get into the reasons here and whether they are right or wrong, but the above is a fact.


I belive the world had over indexed on PR and optics vs plain common sense when it comes to gender equality... in some industries and jobs, women are the overwhelming majority.. and we are seeing really inspiring stories of women. and men who made it big but has nothing to do with gender. I am fortunate enough to work and interact with such folks and i know gender is not a factor but the capability , smartness, courage and fortitude is..

In this case it makes for a good headline or tweet for mahindra company but has little impact ..

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I think this is suitable only if someone wants to get air filter & engine oil changed.

This sounds like a good business to get into, if you ask me. With the current crop of cars, that pretty much covers a scheduled service. With a little training (Helps if you are technically inclined), just about anyone can do it. I could not care about the gender aspect of it. All that matters is if the person, man or woman, can do the job with the right attitude.

[NiInJa]

In my opinion, this is a good move by Mahindra. Gender equality and all is fine, but in India, gender bias is deeply rooted if you start looking at rural and semi-urban areas. The perception is greatly different in cities which is a good thing. Women are 'expected' to do certain jobs like cooking, teaching while jobs like fixing cars is best left to men is what the general idea is. So it becomes a matter of giving them such opportunities to show that such ideas are flawed. Only the extraordinary ones will set up a garage by themselves.

Plus, lets not forget that car service industry is tricky in the sense you have to face both the technology and people side of it at the same time. You have to deal with arrogant/ill-mannered/impatient people most of the times, such situations are going to get interesting in rural areas where those women might have to deal with egoistic men who will most definitely say 'You should stay at home and have kids' if they can't fix a car !