Why the debate on bringing a child along to an Indian female officer’s ceremony?

A woman government official who took her son to a public function in India last week has sparked a debate on social media about professional duties and child care.

Divya S. Iyer, district collector of Pathanam Thatta district in the Indian state of Kerala, took her three-and-a-half-year-old son Malhar to the closing ceremony of the 6th International Film Festival of Adoor on October 30.

One of the organizers of the festival was state assembly speaker Chatham Gopakumar, who shared a video of the event online.

In a video shared on Facebook, Divya can be seen sitting on stage with her son on the final day of the three-day event.

He can then be seen walking to the dais for his speech, still carrying his son in his arms. Her son can then be seen with his arms around his mother’s neck.

In the video, three-year-old Malhar can be seen moving around the stage during his mother’s speech.

The speaker of the state assembly wrote in his social media post that Divya’s son became the cause of ‘boom’ at the event. However, he later deleted his video.

A debate later erupted on social media over whether Divya should have brought her son along to the event, which she was attending in an official capacity.

Several social media users have criticized Divya for juggling professional duties and parental responsibilities, but many users have also praised her, saying that what she did is not critical of such things. It should be normalized rather than targeted.

Speaking to the British broadcaster BBC, Divya said that ‘the reaction of social media users was unexpected.’

He also said that it was ‘not an official event’ and that he ‘never thought it would be seen this way.’

Says Divya: ‘I believe that taking children to places they wouldn’t normally go helps broaden their horizons and enables them to grow up in a holistic way.’

The female officer added: ‘I have to work 24 hours a week as a civil servant and a mother. We have many roles and I cannot give up any of them. I have to juggle both and balance professional life. What I’m trying to understand is why is it so hard for some people to accept?’

She has also been supported by KS Subrinadhan, the husband of the Indian civil servant, who is a former legislator and vice-president of the Youth Congress in the state.

Subrinadhan wrote in her Facebook post on November 3 that ‘working mothers do not need sympathy from anyone. But the society should provide them with a positive environment for work.’

Later, writing in the Indian newspaper The Indian Express, he said that ‘workplaces need to be transformed and made more accepting of people.’

He pointed out that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took a nursing baby with her to the United Nations General Assembly and Australian Senator Larissa Waters sat in Parliament and breastfed the baby.

Indian female officer Divya said the ‘biggest result’ of the incident was that it opened a debate on the issue.