Breaking Stereotypes: These women in unconventional professions are inspiring and making it big!

To those who think women can only teach, treat people and be a homemaker, hold our wine! Because these women have chosen professions that are unconventional and dominated by men and making us proud by breaking all the typical stereotypes!

Some of them are shooting the right spots, while some are kicking the goalposts. Some have left people amazed with their photographing skills, while some are finding the criminals and their bad tricks. These women in unconventional professions are killing it with their sharp minds, skills, and knowledge and are leaving us in awe! So, keep scrolling to know who are these women in unconventional professions.

1. Tanaz Mohammed- Hockey player and Football coach

Tanaz Mohammed is a Sports Management Professional, a coach, and a head coach educator! She has played hockey at the National & International levels. She is pushing boundaries by coaching football to around 500 girls and has taught hockey to kids with special needs.
“I used to represent my school in various events, road races, and marathons. I was 8 when I found that my school also has a hockey team, and I decided to join in. To keep myself fit, I started playing football too. Honestly, I had a blank slate start into football professionally, but I decided to keep upgrading myself into the sport to understand it better when it comes to working into it. Hockey has helped me become who I am and football is the one that gave me a purpose and upgraded me. I can't choose one when both go hand in hand for me", she says.

2.  Saloni Saxena- Uber Driver

Saloni Saxena is a 22-year-old Uber driver who's been driving since the age of 18. She is also a BA graduate and was earlier pursuing her studies and driving at the same time!  This multitasker and hardworking young woman in the mobility segment makes ends meet by following her passion for driving and making other women feel safe as they commute in a city known for safety concerns.

"I related the idea of driving to independence – to be able to drive through different places, situations and see more of the beauty that Delhi has to offer. I knew none of that could be possible from sitting in the house. So, I started driving at the age of 18. People have often tried to put me down for driving saying “Yeh line achi nahi hain ladki ke liye”, but I never let it pull down my spirits. Driving makes me happy and I never let comments by others dull my spirit. I greet every customer with a big smile, and it transfers to the most of the time. When riders appreciate me, it always makes my day", she says.

3. Aishwarya Sridhar- Wildlife Filmmaker

Aishwarya Sridhar is the first Indian woman to win the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 2020. The winning image titled ‘Lights of passion’ was selected from 50,000 entries, from more than 80 countries around the globe! She is also a writer, filmmaker, conservationist, and Canon EOS influencer. Her first documentary ‘‘PANJE the Last Wetland’’ was telecasted on DD National and the second ‘’Queen of Taru’’ was awarded at the 9th Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, New York. She has also received the Woman Icon Award 2019 in the Media category for using photography in conservation and the Diana Award 2019.

"Women are only perceived to do desk jobs and are rarely viewed as candidates for field-oriented jobs. In a patriarchal society like India, girls are seldom given the opportunity to follow their passion. I have braved several 'comments' such as 'only brainless girls go for this, 'she will never be a good homemaker, 'you are ruining your life in this field'. The list is actually quite long! But the good part is that the industry of wildlife storytelling is very welcoming to women and young girls!  The best part of being a wildlife storyteller is exploring different locations in search of wildlife. I don't have Monday Blues at all! I feel privileged to be in this position- to be able to tell stories of the natural world and be the voice for our planet", she says.

4. Prakashika Naik- Cricketer

It's still a very common thought that cricket is not considered to be the right career option for a woman. But Prakashika Naik has broken all these stereotypes and has gained national recognition. This 22-year-old Leg-spinner has played for the country in the U-19 age category, India Green, and is currently part of the Mumbai Senior Women’s team.

"I started playing cricket at the age of 5, where I faced criticism from society because I was a girl. It was not only thrown on my face, but my parents also had to go through the same for supporting me. My dad has been putting a lot of effort into my cricket career from my initial days, and he was always pinned as wrong by society earlier. After I played India U-19 and Mumbai Senior’s, the same people who used to criticize are now appreciating me and my family. My family has always been my inspiration for taking up cricket as a full-time career. My aunt is a former Indian cricketer and my dad also used to play college cricket", she says.

5. Anagha Shriram Karandikar- Badminton Player

Anagha Shriram Karandikar is another inspiring sportswomen and is a National Level Badminton Player. She currently holds the 46th rank and has represented Maharashtra and Mumbai University at Senior All India Tournaments and All India University Tournament respectively. She has also been the runner-up in Mix Doubles at the Maharashtra States and has achieved many other wins.

"I always enjoyed playing many sports, but I found myself the happiest when I was on the badminton court, planning strategies, showing patience during long rallies, and eventually winning the rally, it thrilled and excited me. As there aren't many sparring partners, so I had to practice with boys. In fact, even today there are fewer tournaments organized for girls compared to boys. Many people keep saying that badminton can only be a hobby and can never be a full-time career, because they think girls aren't strong enough physically and mentally to manage everything. But, that's not true, and so, I'm not giving up", she said.

6. Akriti Khatri- Detective

Akriti Khatri is a full-time detective who made her mark in the male-dominated industry at the age of 24, and started her detective agency 'Venus Detective Agency', which is now over 10 years old. She is also known as Nancy Drew.

"I never thought that I would become a detective. It happened by chance. One day I read a newspaper ad about an agency offering detective services, and that intrigued me. I went for the interview and eventually got the job. This profession is not seen as a mainstream profession. Nobody wants their child, especially a girl child, to be a Detective, and this is the biggest challenge I want to mould off. When I began my career in the detective field, it was a male-dominant space. I had to face a lot of troubles daily to move up the ladder. Soon I realized, it won’t be possible for me to work in such an environment. So I left and began working from grass root level with ‘Venus Detective’", she said.

7. Suhani Shah- Magician

Suhani Shah is one of the few female magicians in the country. And she definitely is ruling this male-dominant profession with her tricks. She is also a corporate trainer, an author, content creator, a counsellor and has given several TED Talks. She is also known for her gaming and fun music streams.

"I always wanted to do something different since my childhood. I was always attracted to the art of magic, and whenever I would watch TV, I wanted to perform the tricks myself. So, one day I walked up to my father and told him I wanted to do magic, and initially, he did not take it seriously. But when he realized I was serious about it, he told me to do stage shows. I decided to pursue magic as my profession, and I really never thought I was the only female to do it. My only focus was to make my work better. I realized all the challenges later when I started doing more shows and became an online creator. That made me realize that women creators are treated differently than men. Similarly, when you do corporate shows, different companies deal with female artists in different ways than male artists. But I had my way to deal with them, and instead of finding what didn't work in my favour, I would always see what are the other advantages I have of being the other gender", she said.

What do you think about these boss women? Did we miss any other women in unconventional professions? Let us know in the comment sections below!

Also Read: Meet Tanaz Mohammed, a hockey player, a football coach, and someone who is kicking the right goalposts!

Meet Akriti Khatri from Delhi, a real-life spy, solving cases like a boss!

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