Gender Equality Today For A Thriving Society Tomorrow

If you are a working woman, the career opportunities ahead of you may seem limitless. Every organization is focusing on diversity & inclusion through several initiatives to attract, [PN1], engage, retain, and develop a future-ready workforce. While all the doors of opportunity are opening for women in the workplace, let’s take a quick look at what stands in the way to women achieving success in their chosen profession. 

Overcoming roadblocks

While organizations are taking deliberate steps to reduce gender discrimination and establishing a more equitable and inclusive work culture, removing pre-existing unconscious biases is not as easy as it seems. 

Organizations can help build better women representation in their workforce, by creating supportive ecosystems through initiatives such as mentorship, flexi-working models, exposure to different facets of business & leadership, opportunities to grow [PN1]and much more. Focusing on equitable ecosystem helps women to explore newer opportunities within the organization. 

Women also need to change the way their families look at their career. It is not a situation of family vs. profession where one must give way to the other. The idea is to make family members allies in helping women achieve their career aspirations and thus help them navigate their professional journeys. If women can reach out and ask for help in getting the best possible support in their personal and professional lives, it would help them balance the asks and navigate their journeys better. 

How can organisations help?

To begin with, it is imperative that there is a conscious effort to invest in fostering gender equality and inclusion at workplace. These efforts need to flow from the top across all levels and hierarchies within the organization. Therefore, greater emphasis must be laid on developing a fair and collaborative work culture that reduces gender gap and bias.

In addition to this, continuous learning and upskilling will enable women to do well in all stages of their career, whether they are starting out, returning after a sabbatical or otherwise. Thus, organizations need to ensure that women employees are provided with equal opportunities in being part of various Learning and Development (L&D) initiatives that can greatly enhance their professional capabilities and expose them to different facets of business. It will [PN2]help them prep for the ‘next’ in their career path, and also boost their confidence and equip them to address their day-to-day challenges better. Opportunities for networking and mentoring provide them with a support structure and a sounding board that they can rely on.

Another major step that business leaders need to take here is to ensure that women are seen and heard, and create a friendly, inclusive work environment where they feel comfortable to be vocal about their ideas, concerns, and suggestions on various aspects at workplace. This can help bring in a whole new and fresh perspective into different aspects of business, fostering creativity and innovation, that ultimately can lead to better business outcomes.

With the economy reopening and hybrid working models becoming the new business models, provision of support facilities such as day care and crèche services for the women employees, company transport for odd-hour work shifts, flexible working hours for working mothers, parental leaves among others, are some of the steps being taken. 

So, how should women think about their jobs?

Organizations that propagate a better gender balance are more likely to reap its benefits. According to a report[1], when women make up just 30% of a company’s leadership team, those companies experience a 15% boost in profitability. The effect of a greater number of women having a seat at the table can be felt in the emergence of higher creativity and innovation within the diverse workforce. Men and women have different experiences and backgrounds, and viewpoints and these factors go a long way in creating a knowledge-building and collaborative work culture in an organization.

Along with the requisite knowledge and business expertise that are necessary elements to do well in one’s career, women have stronger emotional intelligence quotient. This stems from the unique multiple roles of being primary[PN3] care giver and managing both home and work. In fact, business leaders are acknowledging the fact that emotional expression is not a sign‌ ‌of‌ ‌weakness, but one that serves a purpose. Women have a different way of looking at problems, bringing fresh perspectives on how to resolve them.

Therefore, women’s success needs to be celebrated just like any other of her colleagues. Their voices need to be heard, their efforts and accomplishments need to be applauded. 

Having said that, everything, and particularly solidarity, begins with awareness. Awareness by women themselves of their own worth, of the change they want to bring within and around them as well as recognition by others – including their family, co-workers, superiors, and the society as a whole - of what they truly are. They should be proud of the balance that they are trying to achieve and reach out for any help and support that they require. It should not be a case of personal or professional but enjoying the best of both. 

(The article has been solely curated for BW People publication by Lynette D’silva, Head of Regional HR- India & APAC)