The world celebrated the 43rd women’s day on the 8th of March, 2018. Husbands took their wives out for dinner, children cooked for their moms, cards, bouquets and chocolates sold like hot cakes and social media was bombarded with women’s day quotes and inspiring stories for women, by women & of women.
But in all this celebratory brouhaha, some of the real issues get drowned out.
Like for example the glaring disparity between men & women leaders in the corporate sector.
Studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between the company’s growth & women leaders, but yet, when we speak about women leaders the same names, like, Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochhar, Naina Kidwai, Kiran Majumdar crop up. They have been big inspirations no doubt, but yet the glass ceiling has not seen more than just a crack.
The most common reasons for this are their roles as wives and mothers that often pose as obstacles and don’t allow them to give more time to work; but nonetheless, women have never compromised on the quality of work. Even then, companies want to rely more on men who are not tied down with other responsibilities and can give uninterrupted time to the company.
There are ways to change this mindset, training sessions which will get male colleagues to appreciate a woman’s role better, inclusive groups & forums for women to discuss problems and encourage each other; and much more.
Women too can undergo behavioural training which can develop their EQ to help manage the day to day tasks in a male-dominated environment. These can be in the form of talks, improvised theatre, dance etc.
Apart from hiring more women at the entry level, corporations are also coming out in huge numbers to support women-related causes & run campaigns which are targeted towards men and other stakeholders in society. This helps raise awareness about women and their needs across the society.
Apart from the extended maternity leave, from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, which the government has made mandatory, companies need to be proactive about women, their multiple roles, their health & safety. Participation like that will encourage more and more women to continue working & pursue their ambition; irrespective of challenges of any kind.
