Safety Concerns Making Women Expats Reluctant to Work in India

Bangalore: The multinational companies in India have plenty of safety measures for their employees, but the recent gang rape and death of the 23-year old girl in Delhi has sparked off a debate over the safety of women in Delhi and the nation as a whole. Women expats are now cautious about having to work in the capital city, reported Rica Bhattacharyya for ET Bureau.

At a time when India is coming up and many multinationals and senior professionals are eager to tap the opportunities, the Delhi incident has certainly raised questions on the safety standards. So to a woman expat unaware of the culture, how safe is the country?

French American Sabine Wahl, a director with PricewaterhouseCoopers came to India last year to join the Gurgaon office, and says that both she and her mother, who lives in the U.S., are concerned after the incident. She told the ET "Yes, I will be a little more prudent. Now I am a little more cautious when I venture out at night."

As a matter of fact many women expats living in Delhi prefer cities like Mumbai, Pune Bangalore, or Hyderabad.

Rubia Braun, 20, runs a film production and distribution company Metro Brava, based out of Bangalore said that "I feel extremely safe in Mumbai and Bangalore. But in Delhi I am told you have to behave in a certain way, like you shouldn't start talking to random people," as reported by ET. She added that "It's harder being a woman than being a foreigner.” However, she says sometimes it could be a jinx “first because you are a woman and then because you are a foreigner.”

Also Read: Expats Find India an Attractive Destination to Work in