It was at Shireen’s and Safia’s college in Hyderabad where they first came to hear that an IKEA store would be opening in their city. They also found out that we were looking for applicants for our training programme, which could lead to a future career. They decided to apply, but knew that they needed to convince their families that it was the right thing to do. Neither Safia’s or Shireen’s parents have had higher educations, and were taken by surprise by their daughters’ ambitions
“I actually never thought about working after my higher studies,” Shireen admits. “Being a girl, my parents didn’t expect me to have a career, [they] didn’t know that much about the working world, so I needed to explain a lot of things to them,” says Shireen. “They were very worried in the beginning and were afraid that it wasn’t safe enough. In India, there have been lots of reports regarding sexual harassments at work and these kinds of things. But today, seeing how I develop, it’s all different.”
Changing the mind-set
In India, women often carry most of the responsibility of caring for their families, which makes balancing life at home and a career, a challenge. Shireen and Safia know first-hand what that feels like – they both cook for their siblings, clean and take care of the household, and contribute in other ways. For them, the family duties start hours before they step foot into the workplace.
Shireen and Safia both started working with us with very clear ambitions. In the future, both of them see themselves in managerial positions, and hope their careers will allow them to travel someday.
“I want to travel to meet people from other countries and religions, and learn new languages,” says Safia. “It’s important for people to understand more about others, and I think it’s the best way to avoid misunderstandings.”
“Being a girl, my parents didn’t expect me to have a career”
– SHIREEN BEGUM, CO-WORKER, IKEA FOOD