Meet the Indian security company that has more than 1000 women bouncers working for them

Eight years ago, Sakina Shiekh took up a job as she became the family’s only breadwinner after her husband passed away in a fatal accident, leaving behind Sheikh and a son inconsolable.

Her son is now 13-years old and Sheikh supports her family and pays for her son’s education with her salary of Rs 50,000 which was raised from Rs 30,000 in view of her good performance.

But, her job is not any ordinary job. She’s one of those increasing number of young women in Mumbai who are opting for a career in security companies- as a woman bouncer.

The reason for their tremendous growth are many. Firstly, being a bouncer pays a whole lot more than any other job for women with limited education (Sheikh herself has studied till Class 10). Secondly, the number of female drinkers has gone up in Mumbai leading to the high demand for women bouncers by event companies and pub and restaurant owners.

Realising this very need, TOPSGRUP, a leading Mumbai-based security company started the trend of recruiting women bouncers.From hiring just 300 women bouncers in 2011 the company has gone to hiring a massive 1000 women bouncers in this year.

Commenting on the growing trend of women bouncers in the city, Mr Niraj Bijlani, Executive Director, TOPSGRUP stated that it was only a matter of time before companies realised the potential of women bouncers and guards.

“Women bouncers are far more efficient in breaking up fights between drunken patrons as compared to their male counterparts. There are instances when clients get aggressive with bouncers themselves – and in these cases, the presence of a woman security officer is immediately calming, at the same time, men rarely attack women. Most of these women are adept in martial arts and personal protection. Moreover, it is also noted that aggressive or a misbehaving crew of male or female customers, sober down much faster when they spot a female bouncer,” he elaborated, adding that according to estimations, the number of women bouncers in India has grown fourfold in the past year.

Though the hospitality sector was the first ones to embrace and encourage the trend of women bouncers, it is at weddings that women bouncers are heavily demanded, followed closely by city pubs.

But there’s also a catch. As the number of women bouncers increase, so do their roles. From physical dexterity to mental calm – the demands of this job are extensive. Strength of mind and body are both equally important, says Bijlani.

It’s clearly no longer just about women entering what used to be a domain exclusively for men- instead it’s a new avenue for women to explore and empower themselves.

To take up a profession as strenuous as this, women not only need to be physically fit but also mentally strong, and that is what Bijlani thinks is TOPSGRUP’s biggest challenge. Additionally, convincing these women about their own security in the role of a woman bouncer is another major challenge.

To counter that, the company ensures that they train every woman they hire. “Initially, we train them in broad areas like Event Security, Close Protection and managing the group security. As they start handling more complex assignments, we take them through refresher courses with specific topics like Crowd Management, Evacuation, and Escorting. The ones who excel, get into celeb security and VVIPS. They are given job/person specific training in tandem with the client’s support team. They are also trained in identifying the body language to look for in miscreants,” explained Bijlani.

These women are also required to do a regular workout involving weight training and toning exercises apart from following a strict diet and not skipping meals. A regular work hour for a woman bouncer employed in shopping malls, IT parks or in events could range anywhere between 8 hours to 12 hours. Sometimes, the duration can also be in between four to eight hours, depending upon the requirement.

The silver lining of this profession is the fact that unlike most other jobs, where gender disparity is prevalent to the disadvantage of women, as bouncers, women often get paid more than men — their wages range from Rs 1500-2000 per shift along with conveyance. Men in comparison earn Rs 800-1200 per shift.

In a month, a woman bouncer with TOPSGRUP is a position to take home Rs 25,000-35,000 as their salary, claims Bijlani.

The next time you’re told that women can’t do everything, ask them to think again.