Abstract
On the streets of Ranchi, women driving pink autos with women passengers can be seen zipping across, showcasing a sense of freedom and contentment for both the drivers and the passengers. These female drivers are part of a new breed of women with immense zeal and determination who have been able to overcome the challenges posed by family and society. To be able to defeat such hurdles requires courage for not giving up, it requires grit. Grit is a personality trait within individuals who demonstrate passion and perseverance towards a long-term goal. Grit, therefore, fuels strength with self-regulation and involves directed effort, persistence and often delayed gratification. The case is an attempt to exemplify as to how changes in society can be brought about by individuals if they have the will and determination to succeed in their endeavour. The case is based on primary data, sourced through semi-structured interviews with the self-employed women taking up the occupation of auto-driving.
Introduction
On 10 December 2011, Mr Sanjay Sahu, proprietor Rajmoni Properties, was really perturbed. He just heard a horrible incident of rape of a helpless woman by the auto-driver at a lonely place during the previous night. The street was dark and wore a deserted look; there were no passers-by, no police nearby and not even street dogs. The victim was the relative of a lady employee who worked as a cook in the kitchen of Rajmoni Properties. The incident moved him so much that he decided to do something for the safety of women travellers in Ranchi.
Though in recent times, a growing number of women are entering into occupations that were traditionally dominated by men, the expected gains have not been equally realized. In the state of Jharkhand, few women have shown the grit and determination for an occupation that has traditionally been considered male-dominated. They have chosen to become auto-drivers, of vehicles that have suitably been named as ‘pink autos’. These auto rickshaws are meant for women passengers, driven by women auto-drivers. Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, and Kelly (2007) define grit as passion and perseverance towards long-term goals, even when faced with adversity. This commitment to long-term goals involves maintaining a vision of what one really wants to do and moving towards that goal, whether it takes a week, a month or many years. However, grit also involves self-regulation, the ability to make choices and engage in behaviours that will ultimately lead to success. Grit, therefore, fuels strength, determination and drive, while self-regulation involves directed effort, persistence and often delayed gratification. The case is an attempt to exemplify as to how the women drivers of pink auto brought about changes in the society by demonstration of grit and determination to succeed in their endeavour.
Women in Jharkhand
Jharkhand emerged as the 28th state on the political map of India on 15 November 2000. Chota Nagpur plateau and Santhal Pargana regions, once part of Bihar, now form the state of Jharkhand. The state is covered by forest lands and hills varying from 300 to 1,000 meters in altitude. The state has a sizeable tribal population of 26 per cent (Census, 2011), or adivasis, a term used as a form of self-expression by the tribes. Presently, the state has been organized into 24 districts. It covers about 2.42 per cent of the country’s land area (79,710 km2) and about 2.62 per cent of the country’s population (32 million as per Census, 2011).
The state has basically rural economy, as approximately 80 per cent of the population is engaged in agriculture and allied activities. The economy presents a paradox of poverty in plenty; being rich in vegetation and mineral resources, but facing challenges in the areas of employment, infrastructure and industrialization. Women constitute 16 million of the population (Census, 2011). Women in Jharkhand have traditionally been engaged in agrarian activities and have been equal contributors to the economic well-being of the households. Although they have always shouldered equal responsibility in meeting the household needs, the pattern of their work seems to have changed after the neo-liberal reforms. According to Prasad (2016), the adivasi women have started depending more on the non-agrarian work for their economic needs. This is mainly due to agrarian distress and for subsistence, explaining the sharp rise in their entry into the mainstream labour market. Women from this region look for opportunities to contribute economically in occupations which may be considered traditional or in areas which are still dominated by men.
Methodology of Study
An interaction with 10 female auto-drivers, as part of a pilot project on women empowerment in the city, revealed the challenges encountered and the successes achieved in their journey. This interaction led to further examination of the feasibility of the project and its initiation. The issues identified were women’s need to supplement the family income and building up capability for an occupation which is more dignified than a household maid or helper at a construction site; the learnings of which could be a perfect fit for a management class. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews followed by one-on-one in-depth interviews with three classes of respondents: the entrepreneur, 35 female drivers of pink auto and 20 passengers who have used the services of pink auto.
Observations were recorded about the conduct of the female auto-drivers during select working hours to obtain a deep understanding of the personality traits, the relation with the passengers along with other auto-drivers.
Ideation and Initiation of the Pink Autos Project
While there has been a momentum by the government, at various levels, to address women’s safety in public transport, inclusive and sustainable development of urban transport system continues to be elusive (The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy [ITDP], 2018). In India, the state of Jharkhand is the pioneer in developing the concept of all-female transport services, the impact of which has been life-changing for the female drivers as well as the passengers (Azim, 2014). Here, the traditional male bastion of auto driving has been shared by females who have chosen to become auto-drivers.
In the year 2012, as a collaborative effort between Jharkhand State Diesel Auto Union and Rajmoni Properties, a private real estate group that was keen to invest in a social cause, the pink autos started. The idea was conceptualized when a worker’s relative was brutally raped and thrown out onto an open ground while travelling alone in an auto at night. This worker, who was employed in the kitchen mess of Mr Sahu, was quite disturbed by her relative’s rape, which resulted in her falling sick. When enquired by Mr Sahu, she confided the entire episode to him. Mr Sahu, being a concerned citizen and employer, determined to do something for the safety of women travellers. He immediately decided to start a female transport service, to maintain the safety and dignity of women in the city in addition to empowering women to become entrepreneurs that can have financial independence.
The President of Jharkhand State Diesel Auto Union, suggested that women needed the training to drive an auto. A group of women, mostly from the economically weaker background, were motivated to take up the training course for becoming auto-drivers. Despite the initial hiccups, generated mostly due to the perception in their families about the occupation being male-dominated, 40 females signed up for the training programme.
Personal and Social Background of the Self-employed Female
Many of these women, who were earlier working, were either engaged as domestic help or as contractual labourers in construction work. The social and demographic factors of the 35 women auto-drivers who completed their training and started their new occupation are displayed in Table 1.
Majority of these women came from families which were economically weak, necessitating the woman to earn, for making ends meet. These women also have dependants to look after, their either children, parents or in-laws. Some of the unmarried females were looking after their younger siblings or elderly parents. Once given the licence, the women could earn on an average between ₹3000 and 6000 per month and be able to contribute to the family’s income. But this achievement and sense of fulfilment on their part involved a journey fraught with challenges, requiring grit and determination to succeed. One of the added attractions of the project was that these women could own the vehicles once they pay off the loan amount.
Demographics of Respondents
The Journey of Grit and Determination
In 2007, Duckworth introduced the construct of ‘Grit’, defined ‘as a trait-level perseverance and passion for long-term goals’. Recently, Duckworth (2013) has even argued that grit is as good as or even a better predictor of success than cognitive ability.
One of the other constructs somewhat related, yet distinct, is the positive psychological capital (PsyCap) that consists of positive psychological capacities of hope, self-efficacy, resilience and optimism (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009; Luthans, Luthans, & Chaffin, 2018). According to Luthans et al. (2018), while Grit is identified as being more trait-like, PsyCap has been demonstrated to be more state-like. In their study, it is suggested that PsyCap is a significant predictor of Grit. The female auto-drivers under consideration in the study portray both these traits in their personality. The initial step of agreeing for the driver’s training itself was a major hurdle. Many of these women had to convince their families to agree for joining the training and subsequently permit them to join the occupation.
On being asked the reasons for choosing this profession, the majority of them claimed that they had an urge to contribute to their household income but could not find a suitable and a dignified option. As most of them were educated only up to the school level or dropped out during their higher secondary years, they were not having any specific skill required to join any occupation. However, as they became aware of the opportunity of getting training for auto-driving, these women were not only interested but determined to succeed in this occupation.
I always wanted to do something for my family, but I had to drop out of school while in class VIII. I started helping my mother who works as a domestic help but I did not like it. When I heard of this opportunity, I could not believe it. It is as if my prayers were answered. Many of my relatives questioned if I could do the driving and expressed doubts that it would be too risky, but I knew I would pass the training test and nobody can stop me from driving. I feel happy to be able to contribute to my family and help my brother to continue his studies. (Renuka Devi, one of the trained auto-drivers)
The attributes of hope, self-efficacy, resilience and optimism that these women had during the training were indicators of the grit and would help them once they got onto the streets in their new occupation. After weeks of training and practice sessions initially, only 12 females got the licence. Another 23 qualified later. After completing the training, these women were assigned a specific route in the city with the autos coloured in pink and the drivers’ uniform also being pink. These female auto-drivers feel proud that their uniform and autos are colour-coded as pink; a colour which not only gives them a distinct identification but also is a colour that the passengers identify as vehicles meant for women.
Studies show that grit predicts the completion of challenging goals despite obstacles and setbacks. According to Duckworth and Gross (2014), grit entails having a dominant super-ordinate goal and working towards its achievements even in the face of obstacles. The super-ordinate goal is at the top, where lower order goals are tied to it which in turn are related to actions. Individuals with determination are able to suppress other rival super-ordinate goals or may not have a competing super-ordinate goal. When a particular lower-order goal or action is blocked, new goals or actions are generated and then pursued with vigour (as illustrated in Figure 1).
Owing to the fact that these women have chosen an occupation that is traditionally dominated by men, they feel a sense of pride and achievement that they have been able to break the societal barriers. For doing this, they have had to bring about an attitudinal shift individually too. Making a categorical distinction between social and personal realism, the women had to make a shift in their attitude and select their personal realism goals. Moreover, all these female auto-drivers were found to be very high on their level of confidence and sense of achievement. A meta-analysis of literature on grit by Credé, Tynan & Harms (2017) reveals that grit is strongly correlated with conscientiousness, showing the high level of importance given by the female auto drivers to their chosen profession.
On joining this occupation their family income has seen a manifold increase and they feel a sense of pride in being able to financially support the family. Moreover, they feel strong, competent and financially independent. Currently, 4 of the 35 female auto-drivers own their vehicles. Others are waiting to repay their loan amount to the bank and the real estate company that provided them with the down payment. These women were able to earn around ₹3000–6000 in a month and were immensely satisfied with their chosen occupation.
Challenges and Support Systems
The women feel happy that despite major challenges they were able to contribute to the family income and provide education to their children. Many of the female auto-drivers needed to balance work and family life and required the support system. Some bring their school-going children or kids to their place of work and manage the things with the support of their colleagues. For example, the researchers came across Ms. Heera Devi, who used to bring her 3.5-month-old baby to work and toiled for not less than 10–12 hours per day. This has been her routine for almost 3 years now. Even the 7-year-old son of Savitri Devi joins her at work almost daily after his school. These women are examples of how they are able to cope with the pressures of work but able to manage their families. The need to help each other to tide over the adversaries has created a strong bond among these women. For example, if one of them takes a short leave, she simply finds another one to drive the autos for a while.
A supporting environment at home is also essential for them to carry on with their occupation. Some of the women take the help of their parents, in-laws or husband to be able to manage the domestic chores and to take care of their children. Many of these women initially faced criticism and scorn from their family members and in-laws in specific. But as their income soared, there was a shift in the family attitudes towards their work. One of the women auto-drivers (Heena) chips in smiling: ‘Earlier, my husband would not do any of the household work, but now he not only helps in cutting sabzi (vegetables) for cooking but when I return home I find that he has cleaned up the dishes as well. It feels very good’.
One of the issues they had to encounter when they initially started was finding acceptance among their own communities and male counterparts. Initially, they had to face minor issues from their male counterparts who found it difficult to accept females in their domain. However, their route has been fixed by the local municipality with only one stretch in Ranchi being permitted for the pink autos. The main aspect of contention for the male auto-drivers is that they see the pink autos as taking away their share of the market. This conflict has been resolved by the local municipality by fixing the route for pink autos. Moreover, since the clientele of the pink autos is only women and families who constitute almost one-fourth of the total passengers, the male auto-drivers have started accepting them considering it too small a passenger segment. Over a period of time, the attitudes of male drivers and even passengers have changed, and they have become friendlier to the drivers of pink autos.
On the commuters’ side, the initiative was welcomed by the female passengers and families, as they feel safe and comfortable riding pink autos. They did face varied glances from men drivers and also had to bear some not so comfortable comments. Many of the female passengers asked if these pink autos could ply on some other routes.
Sarita Devi had this to share:
I am not afraid to drive in a lonely street or even during the night. I think every woman is strong enough to deal with negative elements. With the training received I can manoeuvre my vehicle in any traffic, do the maintenance of the vehicle and ensure that my passengers reach on time and safely. I wish the government allocated more routes to us. At the household level, of course, I do all household chores and then come for work. But everyone respects me much more because I contribute to the family income. Even my husband asks for my advice. I will educate my children so that they do not have to face what I did and are able to get many more opportunities in life. This is a wonderful project as all of us female drivers no longer feel helpless or dependent … we feel so empowered. (Sarita Devi, personal communication, May 2018)
As mentioned, these women are driven by a sense of passion and grit and the challenges do not deter them. They are focused on their work as they are driven by their inner desire for achievement and fulfilment. The strong social bonding among the female auto-drivers has helped them to create an association as Pink Auto Driver Association and one among them (Shanti) has been appointed as its President. The President also happens to be among the first few who had opted for the training and is now a proud owner of a pink auto.
Conclusion
The saga of pink autos and the female auto-drivers is a story of grit, determination and passion of the women drivers. As they drive their pink autos through the city, one can sense their feeling of independence and self-respect they experience. This overwhelming show of support, and the determined attitude of the women, has induced the Auto Chalak Mahasangh (auto drivers association) as well as banks to finance more pink autos. The aim of the real estate company which had initiated the project now is to double the number of pink autos in Ranchi city and has requested the local government to allocate more routes in the city for this service. Mr Sanjay Sahu also expressed his plans of starting a service on similar lines by training women in one of the most backward districts of Jharkhand, that is, Lohardaga. Our case study is consistent with the findings of Wolfe and Patel (2016) that not only grit is related to self-employment, but also that grit is more strongly related to self-employment for risk-takers and females. The case is a perfect example of independence, grit, employment and the hope for a better life for the women in a state like Jharkhand that happens to be the pioneer in terms of integrating the concerns for women in the transport system through the implementation of pink autos.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this case.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this case.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Mr Sanjay Sahu of Rajomani Properties for his support in developing the case and his permission to publish the same. The authors also particularly want to thank the 35 auto-drivers and 20 passengers for an open-hearted interaction to share the details of their personal and professional life.