New Delhi, March 14 -- When Harini Kartik applied for the role of a manager with a private lender in 2022, one interview question would have been obvious: "Why do you want to return to the workplace?" Kartik, 45, who holds an MBA degree and worked at two private banks from 2001-2006, had quit her corporate job to take care of her family.

"I worked in between as a teacher, but when my son turned 16, I decided to give the corporate sector another go," she told Mint. "I wanted to build a nest egg for myself."

The interviewer also asked why she quit her earlier jobs and about her goals if she were to get the role. "I got the job, was posted in Mumbai and worked in a team where everyone was younger than me. Within months, I got promoted and ...