Women have been increasingly undertaking crucial roles, but there are still not enough women in leadership/ management positions. Women leaders that that DH talked to suggest that there has been a change in perception over the years, the road to equality, however, appears to be a long one.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) reports that women account for just 24% of senior roles at the highest levels of corporate leadership worldwide. Even fewer are CEOs of the world’s largest corporations. Things are particularly worrying in India, with women accounting for only 14% of leadership roles among India’s senior officials. It puts India at 136th in WEF’s Global Gender Gap Index.
Gayathri J Gopal – Vice President & Country Head, Project Management, Vestian says hindrances still exist when it comes to women climbing the ladder and being accepted in leadership positions. She says, “The real estate industry is predominantly male-dominated, and I have found building alliances challenging at times. But having said that, we are seeing a radical shift in the perception of female leaders in the industry today.”
“There exists a perception gap and often, we don’t have the necessary support. We need excellent support systems and this is where women mentorship forums and groups play a huge role in forming small communities in and out of the workplace, where women can identify and draw strength/learn from other women,” She says adding such support groups help women when they are first entering the workforce, and when getting back to work post-maternity breaks.
“It has been my experience that women need to work harder to prove their caliber and capabilities, but once established, there’s no looking back,” adds Gopal.
For most women at work, leaders or not, one of the major challenges has been balancing family responsibilities with professional life. The pandemic, in fact, has worsened the situation. LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021 shows 89% of women were negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with as many as 85% women in India having missed out on a raise, promotion or other work offers because of their gender.
A recent TeamLease survey with male employees suggests more than 50% of them felt that there is an increase in gender bias against women in the last two years in spite of the implementation of Maternity Benefit Act, with around 54% of the male respondents stating discrimination at workplace being the root cause of women not progressing in their career.
Sindhu Gangadharan - Senior Vice President and Managing Director, SAP Labs India says Gender bias, gender stereotyping, and discrimination are still present in individual pockets. However, the industry is doing much better than a few years ago.
“The situation has vastly improved now compared to a few years ago and organisations understand the importance of having diverse leadership.” Currently, the share of women in the total workforce at SAP is 33%, says Gangadharan adding the percentage of women in management positions is 27. “We have a target of achieving a 30% share of women in management positions by 2022.”
Supria Dhanda, Vice President and Country Manager for India, Western Digital says that companies are putting in requisite efforts, when it comes to representation of women in workplace. “Although the numbers in comparison to men may not be very optimistic, I believe we are working towards achieving the goal and it is in fact a journey of change and progress.”
Dhanda also believes that there is need for more women role models from whom young girls and aspiring women professionals can draw inspiration. “It is important for woman employees to have strong mentors and sponsors who will help in their career growth and share imperative skills for success.”
It’s the mindset that needs to be changed, say Gayathri Vivekanandan, CEO of Ideas2IT. Gayathri has been appointed as the CEO of the software company just two months ago. “Women should be told from the beginning that they can be leading a company. When women are young in their careers, they should be able to believe that they can become CEOs and COOs. There should not be a mental block.”