Saroja Yeramilli On How Families Can Shape Women's Participation in Workforce And Entrepreneurship

Although women often have to sacrifice their careers for the sake of domestic duties, Melorra founder Saroja Yeramilli says that her family has had a major role in her career success. “My husband always felt I would make a great entrepreneur. In his view, I am decisive, a big risk taker, and good at execution. He kept encouraging me to start up,” she says. According to her, the progressive upbringing by her parents and support from her in-laws have shaped her confidence and added to her qualities as an entrepreneur. May be that’s why she believes that more women can come forward in workforce as well as in entrepreneurship, given the right circumstances. Talking to MAKERS India, she adds that the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic -which has forced a majority of Indian workforce to work from homes- has made men more empathetic to the women in their lives. “I see more men doing domestic chores now than ever before. Often, women give up on their career thinking they can't balance work and life. But I would urge them to think that there is a path ahead. For example, in my own career, I've taken sabbaticals - each extending for more than a year at a time- when both my kids were born. And I have always come back stronger into the work field right in the workspace. I didn't hesitate to take those sabbaticals; I enjoyed my time with my young kids at that time,” she tells MAKERS India.

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