Nidhi Razdan knows how to choose her battles. The rockstar NDTV anchor speaks with Aditi and Christina about why there is such a strong representation of women in the ranks of journalism, saving lives while live broadcasting via a selfie stick, and why online harassment says more about the person throwing shade then the recipient. Nidhi Razdan is a…

This week, Anushka Manchanda drops in for a conversation. Under her moniker Kiss Nuka, she is a multi-disciplinary artist-producer who combines her art with activism. With a keen interest in visual artistry, Anushka also produces and directs her own music videos and photo essays, deploying them as tools to carry her message into the world. In this …

Shrayana Bhattacharya is easily the most fun economist we know. Working at the World Bank’s Social Protection and Labour unit for South Asia, she is also the author of a bestselling book, Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India's Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence. Shrayana spent 15 years exploring women’s economic indepen…

Ragini Das is the co-founder of leap.club, a community-led professional network for women. She speaks with Aditi and Christina about how to make networking a lot less work–and a lot more fun through breaking out of the fixed idea that networking is a boys club business card-exchanging event into thinking about networking as relationship building ar…

Rintu Thomas is a documentary filmmaker, director-producer, and co-founder of Black Ticket Films. Rintu discusses the narrow margin for error women have at work–especially when they are one of few in their profession. Her documentary, ‘Writing with Fire’, was the first Indian feature documentary to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documen…

Dalit History Month co-founder Christina Dhanaraj is also a writer and consultant with over 10 years of experience at companies around the world. As a part of several women and minority-led initiatives – focusing on social justice, self-determination, and collaborative models of learning – Christina speaks to our hosts about channeling the strength…

Founder of the award-winning Godrej India Culture Lab, and Queeristan author, Parmesh Shahani is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in corporate India. Parmesh, who has shaped the inclusion policies for many leading companies, talks to Christina and Aditi about the persistent barriers to moving beyond performative inclusivity to taking real…

While writing her bestselling book Wonder Girls, which maps the lives and career paths of relatable, female role models, engineer-turned-entrepreneur Varsha Adusumilli discovered there was an “aspiration gap” among young girls and women in India. So she started the Wonder Girls platform where Varsha unlocks the world of work for adolescent girls, i…

Dr. Ruha Shadab, who founded India’s first professional incubator for Muslim women, joins Christina and Aditi for episode two of our brand new season. A Harvard graduate – and the only Muslim woman in most rooms by her own admission – Dr Shadab started Led By Foundation to help women navigate the land mines of negotiating their careers with friends…

Journalist Namita Bhandare’s rigorous reporting turned the spotlight on the startling statistics about women and work in India in 2019. A guest on season one, Namita returns for season two to tell us where the numbers stand as of 2022. Spoiler alert: Things are still looking grim on the work front but there’s a silver lining. Join the conversation:…

How has the depiction of work changed in popular culture over time? Traditionally, how have women been portrayed in Indian movies vis-a-vis work and careers? Christina and Aditi sit down with award-winning long form journalist, Sohini Chattopadhyay to understand how Bollywood has traditionally depicted India’s women in labour. And whether this depi…

We couldn’t not address it. The elephant in the room, or rather, the virus in the air. Releasing more than two months since India went into lockdown to contain the novel Coronavirus, this episode of Women in Labour was recorded entirely remotely. This is a slice-of-life perspective on how COVID-19 has impacted the lives of some of India’s working w…

We couldn’t not address it. The elephant in the room, or rather, the virus in the air. Releasing more than two months since India went into lockdown to contain the novel Coronavirus, this episode of Women in Labour was recorded entirely remotely. This is a slice-of-life perspective on how COVID-19 has impacted the lives of some of India’s working w…

Our next guest, Ira Singhal was prevented from joining the civil services because of discrimination against her disability. She contested the case, and then went on to earn the highest score in the country for the civil service exam. Today, she serves in the country’s Indian Administrative Services (IAS). In line with her purpose of helping and ena…

As the founder of SHEROES, a women-only social network, Sairee Chahal discusses the many ways in which leveraging shared platforms and community networks can open up the future of work to India's aspirational women. With special guest Sairee Chahal Sairee Chahal is Founder and CEO of SHEROES – the world’s largest online ecosystem for women. She is …

After the untimely demise of her husband, Gulesh Chauhan struggled to keep her family afloat. An unlikely lifeline, working with Uber as a full-time driver, led her down the road to recovery. And to professional satisfaction. The cab driver with a record number of 5-star trips, Gulesh ji talks about the speed breakers along the way, moments of triu…

If India is to continue to grow its economy, it needs to involve the country’s women, according to economist and public policy analyst Devika Kher. You see, ambitious growth just isn't possible with half the population at home. In this episode, Kher breaks down the u-curve, one of the most important theories to understand the drop in women's partic…

“Movies where women's issues are discussed become referendums on the issue: should women work or not? Should women be attacked or not? They're never about women's lives.” In this episode of Women in Labour, filmmaker, Paromita Vohra talks about adopting a narrative that is independent of the patriarchy. And of deciding for ourselves who we are and …

India’s Female Labour Force Participation rate is at an all-time low across industries except for one—garment manufacturing. In fact, the garment sector is made up of more than 50% women workers and is a critical driver of job creation for women. But at the same time it is an industry rife with difficulties and has perhaps the furthest to go in ens…

Joined by Women in Labour’s Creative Producer, Nandita Gupta, Aditi Mittal speaks to Khushboo and Pooja about the importance of creches for working mothers. The sisters-in-law share deeply personal anecdotes about their journeys—from being confined to the house to finding new purpose in their work outside. All thanks to the friendly neighborhood cr…

In this episode of Women in Labour, former editor of India Today Magazine, author, wife and mom of two boys, Kaveree Bamzai makes the case that mothers should actively make time for the things that bring them joy—without letting guilt creep in. With special guest Kaveree Bamzai: Kaveree Bamzai is the author of ‘No Regrets: The guilt-free woman's gu…

Former Senior Adviser to the World Bank, recipient of multiple awards, author of ‘Chup’ and founder of ‘Chup Circles’, Dr. Deepa Narayan explores women’s learned habits, pleasing behaviors and deference to men, resulting in a vicious cycle of silence. She argues that, despite the veneer of gender equality that middle and upper-middle-class women we…

Born in 1970s America to two brilliant Indian economists, Anuradha Bhagwati struggled with her identity (and still maintains that her relationship with it is complicated). However, her unique experiences led her, incredibly, to the US Marine Corps where she encountered, challenged and battled sexism and harassment. A compelling story, narrated by B…

Dr. Ashwini Deshpande is a professor of Economics at Ashoka University...and our go-to person to help us make sense of all the data around India's declining Female Labour Force Participation Rate. In this episode of Women in Labour, Dr. Deshpande simplifies some of the jargon to get straight to the heart of the matter—why are women in the country f…

Award-winning producer Guneet Monga is a hustler—in every sense of the word. In this episode of Women in Labour, the founder of Sikhya films talks to Aditi and Christina about her relationship with the hustle, the side jobs she’s worked (including selling Laughing Cow cheese and DJ-ing), first moving to Bombay, and how she made and distributed her …

Indian women do more unpaid work at home than anywhere else in the world - and, of course, more than men. Episode 5 of Women in Labour tackles questions of methodology, division of labour, and nomenclature. Are institutions reproducing patriarchal structures in the world of work? And what in the world can we do about it?! The hilarious and brillian…

Ever noticed how our public spaces and workplaces are full of men? Dr. Shilpa Phadke encourages women to take back the city with something revolutionary: loitering. In this episode, we ask how public spaces play a role in women's commutes, why women have to justify their presence in public spaces, and why loitering could be the revolution we need. …

What does it feel like to have a very public pregnancy? Twitter’s India and South Asia Director of Public Policy, and new mom, Mahima Kaul did just that. And then lived to tell the tale. With a great sense of humor and incredible insight, Mahima discusses what questions to-be moms should be asking about maternity leave, and how to take on leadershi…

Can working women thrive in a man's world? Sports reporter Mayanti Langer should know. She talks to us about her boundary-breaking journey that actually began with football, not cricket, and how there are more women in her industry today than ever before, in episode two. With special guest Mayanti Langer: Mayanti Langer is among India’s most prolif…

It’s hard to believe fewer Indian women are working now than fifteen years ago. But it’s true — and Namita Bhandare was one of the first journalists to shine a light on this mind-boggling fact. If you’re left wondering what, how, or why — this episode will examine the big picture of what impacts women in the workforce, what’s changed, and why this …

Hosted by Aditi Mittal and Christina MacGillivray, Women in Labour is a no-holds-barred comedy podcast that covers a feast of taboo topics related to women, work, family and power with a range of brilliant guests. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Saturday. A BIG THANKS Women In Labour is generously supported by a grant from the American Center, …

Carry On • Introduction Track