According to LinkedIn’s Gender Insights Report (2024), 38% of women in India list parenting as the reason for a career break compared to only 9% of men. | Photo: This is an AI generated image
Career breaks are no longer rare. But what still feels rare is the confidence to return from one without apology. Especially for professionals in technical roles, a break is often treated as a red flag, not because skills disappear, but because perceptions haven’t evolved fast enough.
According to LinkedIn’s Gender Insights Report (2024), 38% of women in India list parenting as the reason for a career break compared to only 9% of men. This isn’t just a statistic. It reveals how career breaks are still judged, especially for women and mid-career professionals.
It’s not the gap that’s damaging; it’s the outdated assumptions attached to it. Returning professionals assume they’d have to “settle” for less after a break. What they actually need is a reframe, not a downgrade.
Register now for free to ask questions and interact with the panellists. Those who ask the three best questions will receive a free online subscription to The Hindu.
To delve deeper into the topic, The Hindu will host a live webinar, titled ‘How to bounce back from career breaks with confidence?’, on July 26 at 5:00 p.m. The panellists include: Sarabjeet Sachar, Founder & CEO, Aspiration; Gauri Das, Senior Vice President at India Factoring & Finance Solutions; and Shourya K. Chakravarty, CHRO, Aptech Limited.
Register now for free to ask questions and interact with the panellists. Those who ask the three best questions will receive a free online subscription to The Hindu.
Panellists
Sarabjeet Sachar, Founder & CEO, Aspiration
Sarabjeet Sachar, Founder & CEO, Aspiration, with about four decades of experience, is a TEDx speaker (Editor’s pick), LinkedIn Top Voice, career transition coach, and someone involved in recruitment for over two decades. He’s spent 23 years in recruitment, held leadership sales roles at The Hindu, The Times of India, and Zee Telefilms, where he was the Senior Vice President, National Sales (Network). For the last eight years, he’s been coaching professionals to grow, transition, and thrive in their careers. His passion to make a difference in people’s careers has helped him achieve a four lakh following across social media.
Gauri Das, Senior Vice President at India Factoring & Finance Solutions
Gauri Das is an engineer turned HR Professional with a double Master’s in Human Resources and Psychology. Gauri is an HR leader with 17+ years of experience. She is a certified ICF coach and is associated as a mentor with various institutions, including IIT Bombay. She is the co-author of the book, ‘The Power of Connections!’. She is the national president of the WICCI Future of Work Council.
Shourya K. Chakravarty, CHRO, Aptech Limited
Shourya K. Chakravarty, M.IOD, is a professional currently serving as the Chief Human Resources Officer at Aptech Limited, a pioneer in the non-formal vocational training business with a significant global presence. He has almost three decades of experience in Human Resources, CSR, administration, and employee communications. His professional journey commenced with the Aditya Birla Group, and he later held key roles of growing responsibility and complexity at renowned companies such as General Mills India, GE, HSBC, and Firstsource Solutions. He has also served as the former CHRO at QualityKiosk Technologies, leading pivotal HR transformations.
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Published – July 24, 2025 01:00 pm IST
