The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry along with South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) organized a workshop on “Women at Work” on 20th August 2016.

The purpose of the workshop was to generate media discourse and public discussion on the draft NPW (2016), especially the provisions related to work: skill development, greater career opportunity, higher productivity and greater financial inclusion. It focused on the provisions in the draft for a safe and enabling ambience for working women.

The session was addressed by Dr. Shashi Panja, Hon'ble Minister- of- State, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Women Development & Social Welfare & Child Development, Government of West Bengal, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, Hon’ble Judge, Calcutta High Court and other distinguished and eminent speakers namely Swati Bhattacharjee, General Secretary, South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) India, Dr. Samita Sen, Director, School of Women’s Studies, JU, and former Vice Chancellor of Diamond Harbour Women’s University, Ms Janet Ford, Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission, Smt Suparna Sengupta, COO, Woodlands Hospital, Mr Greg Pardo, Assistant Public Affairs Officer, U S Consulate General, Prof. Arijita Dutta, Professor of Economics, Calcutta University and Ms Ruchira Goswami, Professor of Social Science, NUJS. The session was moderated by Smt Shikha Mukherjee, eminent journalist.

The session discussed the need to bring more women from the informal economy to the formal economy, so that women have equal opportunity to enter and enjoy decent work, in just and favorable environment. The need is to,

a. Ensure women’s skill development, especially in new and emerging areas like information based industries, telecommunication, software designs, and financial services;

b. Enhance training and work incentives for women in health and education sectors, which depend heavily on women;

c. Promote part-time and flexi-time jobs in organized sectors;

d. Make provisions for re-entry of technically skilled women in job markets, especially after breaks for care giving;

e. Develop a strategy for the financial sector to reduce gender gap in access to private credit; and

f. Use technology to reduce drudgery and improve access to health, education, communication.

The workshop was supported by the Department of Health and Family Welfare as well as the Department of Women Development & Social Welfare & Child Development, Government of West Bengal and Ghosh Bose & Associates Pvt. Ltd.