The workforce in India is male-dominated. While male:female population ratio is a significant reason for this, the lack of equal work opportunity comes in at a close second. The private sector is still struggling to fill this gap. However, the Indian government jobs are improving on this front. Quickly. They offer better benefits, fixed hours, excellent job stability, extra holidays and pensions. The salaries after are at par with the private sector, all thanks to the 7th pay commission.
The top 5 government jobs for women and not necessarily hired in the order of preference are:
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Banking Jobs: Bank PO and clerk jobs are the most sought after positions. They are considered the most prestigious as well for women. Female employees can take transfers closer to home thanks to the new transfer laws. One needs to take SBI PO, IBPS PO, or RRB PO tests for qualifying. The average basic monthly pay for PO starts at roughly ₹23,000.
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Railways' Jobs: Various jobs in the Indian Railways are highly preferred by females. Indian Railways offer attractive salaries, housing facilities, travelling perks, retirement benefits, bonuses, and some of the best maternity benefits. Their policies are also transfer-friendly for women. Depending upon a technical or a non-technical preference, one can opt for a respective RRB annual entrance exam. Salaries depend upon years of experience and job type.
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Government Teacher/Assistant professor: What can be more prestigious than the job to mould the country's future? Whatsmore you get to enjoy almost all public holidays, and long vacations too. To become a teacher, you must clear the TET exams by the government. The average salary paid by some state governments is about ₹2.5L per year.
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Jobs by Staff Selection Commission: Ladies with only 10+2 academic backgrounds can find respectable jobs like Postal Assistant, Data-entry operator, Sorting Operator, Lower Divisional Clerk, etc. To qualify, candidates must clear the SSC HCGL annual test hosted by the State Staff Selection Board. Suppose you are worried about getting paid less. In that case, you should know that the salary of a postal assistant is roughly ₹2.35L - ₹7.30L per year.
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PSU: When the Central or the State government holds at least a 51% stake in a company, such a company falls under PSU, a.k.a Public Sector Undertaking. These jobs are technically government jobs too. PSU jobs are typically classified into levels of Group A, B, and C. Opportunities in PSU are wide-ranging, from managers to Company Secretary, head officers to clerks. The salaries here too vary depending on the post and no. of years of experience.
Several women prefer medical, defence, police recruitments, and various civil services too. However, due to transfer and placement policies, or physical activity required, these job sectors tend to be among the lower chosen options for females in general.
While these are the top government jobs, they come with certain unfavourable conditions. One of the biggest reasons is transfer to remote, unfriendly or significantly underdeveloped areas. Another leading factor to consider is monotony in work. The daily grind can get a little boring with minimal scope of creativity. So a take a decision wisely. Glow & Lovely Careers (formerly known as Fair & Lovely Career Foundation) offers a free online career test. Take this test if you need help to make a wise decision about your career.
