Carry That Pregnancy Bump in Style

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It’s raining babies this season. Right from Kareena Kapoor to Amrita Rao to Anushka Sharma, many other celebs too announced their pregnancy. Looks like some couples made really good use of the lockdown *wink wink*

Celebrities announcing their pregnancies on Social Media

That being said, these celebrities have been raising maternity fashion to new heights with never a dull look. Yup pregnancy doesn’t have to be all loose and boring dresses. With some special wardrobe tricks and fashion tips, you can also use most of the clothes from your old wardrobe to create some new and interesting looks and make a style statement as you make those heads turn.

With a little bit of glamour, combined with some sass and the confidence of a diva, you can own any outing or event even with a baby bump.

1. Jeggings, leggings and yoga pants can be a great choice over regular denims in case you don’t want to spend buying maternity wear. These are stretchable and will accommodate the growing baby bump for a few months.

2. Low waist jeans can be worn for up to a few months. Use a rubber band or a scrunchie to secure the buttons if you have difficulty closing them.

3. Tight clothes can be camouflaged with a jacket or a shrug. Depending on the season you could go in for a long sleeveless shrug for the summers. Wear these over your regular salwar kamees or kurtis which still fit. These also look great over dresses or a skirt and top.

4. Peplum tops are quite flattering. While choosing dresses, go in for midis or maxis as the growing belly will raise the hem higher of short dresses. Pair with a stylish purse or clutch.

5. Crop tops can be a great alternative instead of regular saree blouses while draping one. Also adds oomph to your style quotient.

6. Buying solid colours instead of large prints can be a wise thing to do. Pair it with contrasting colour accessories or bold printed stoles. If you are going in for prints choose vertical ones over horizontal as they will stretch across the tummy. But who cares if you can carry it off with panache.

7. Dungarees, jumpsuits and bodysuits look great if only you could manage your frequent peeing sessions unbuttoning those in time (Tip: panty liners can be real saviours here).

8. If going in for front opens, wear a size bigger shirt or jacket that will close easily over the belly. Wrap coats and oversized pullovers can be a great idea for winter wear.

9. Invest in Bra extenders for the first few months. These will help you even with the weight gain postpartum. If you are buying new bras, it’s better to invest in feeding bras right away and wear the same through your last trimester if you plan to breastfeed your baby.

10. Buy sandals or platform heels and avoid pumps and stilettoes because they may strain your lower back and also put pressure on the veins in your legs. Many women suffer from edema and varicose veins so investing in a good pair of breathable comfy sandals is a great idea. Shoe laces can be a challenge to tie with that tummy: slip on shoes or sneakers with elastic bands can be picked instead.

That being said here are a few maternity brands and pregnancy wear worth checking out. (You’re Welcome!)

1. First Cry

2. Mom to Be

3. Mothercare

4. Marks & Spencer

5. H&M

6. Shopper Stop Maternity

7. Preggear

8. Zivame

9. Mine4nine

10. The Mom Store

You go girl, slay it in style.

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India’s workforce has fewer women than it did six years ago: no more than 18% in rural areas are employed, compared to 25% in 2011-12 and 14% in urban from 15%. However, in urban areas, the percentage of women in salaried jobs has increased from 35.6% in 2004 to 52.1% in 2017, but continue to be under-represented compared to their presence in self-employed or casual work, according to an analysis of the latest government employment data by Azim Premji University researchers.

Women on the job

In 1993, nearly 33% of rural women were employed. By 2011-12, the last time the NSS EUS was conducted, this had fallen by eight percentage points to about 25%. The proportion of urban women dropped one percentage point to 15% in the two decades to 2011-12.

The 2017-18 PLFS survey estimates and indicates a further decline. Rural women’s workforce participation has fallen to 18%, and the participation of urban women is down to 14%.

The falling female workforce participation provides some reasons for this decline.

One explanation is that women withdraw from the workforce due to an ‘income effect’, that is an increase in the husband’s income which pushes up the household income.

Another reason is that women’s domestic and childcare responsibilities constrain them from participating in the labour market

However, there is some evidence which suggests that educated women with higher skills are demanding better jobs in cities.

Rural areas saw a similar pattern during this period, with a rise in the share of women in regular, salaried category and a decline in casual labour and self employed work. This rising share of women in regular work is a welcome development. Despite this rise, women continue to be under-represented in regular, salaried employment.

We found that among self-employed workers, men earn more than two times what women earn in both rural and urban areas. However, the information on earnings from self-employment is prone to reporting errors and has to be approached with caution. The estimates’ reliability can be ascertained only after comparing it with alternate data sources.

The hours men and women are putting in

The information on hours worked is another addition to the PLFS questionnaire. This is measured as the average number of hours worked in a week during the four quarters of the survey period from July 2017 to June 2018.

There are no significant differences between the percentage of men and women available for additional work in rural areas. In urban settlements, however, women workers in the self-employed and regular work categories report more hours available for work than men.

When self-employed, men work 12 hours more than women per week. And in regular and casual employment, men work seven hours more than women in a week. However, this does not necessarily imply that women work for fewer hours since women’s unpaid work is not accurately captured. The data on the number of hours worked can be better utilised after understanding women’s unpaid contribution inside and outside the household.

With covid-19 where salaried employees suffered, there was definitely an upsurge in the self employment especially from the women of the cities and rural areas.