She is breaking the glass ceiling all right, what with the ranks of women in top positions in government and India Inc swelling by the year. But amidst all the celebration, mostly justified, of the ?corner room? women, wonder what an average, top socio-economic class working woman?s thoughts are on her status at the workplace? Does she perceive the largely male-dominated workplace treating her at par with men? Do focus on marriage and children hamper her professional growth? Did her gender influence choice of vocation? On the eve of International Women?s Day, the SundayFE-Synovate ?Working Women?s Survey? attempts to unravel some of these gender-related issues in Indian workplaces, all manner of them, from government to small and large private businesses.
Perhaps it is a sign of times, with the country?s first citizen and the chief of the ruling political party being women, that around three-fourth of all women polled across the five-city survey say they are perceived at par with their male colleagues. An impressive score no doubt, given our age-old gender biases, but the story gets much more sober, and alas, real hereafter.
Though a large majority (88%) says being a woman makes no difference, or at best works in their favour, there are still a sizeable number?over a fifth in south India?who are still grappling with gender-led discrimination at the workplace.
Call it what you will, confusion or tacit acceptance. While half of all women polled say gender did not play any role in selecting their vocation or profession, equally, a majority would have chosen a different one if they were men! This is more a reflection on our socialisation process, wherein girls are conditioned to think of themselves as homemakers or at best taking up stereotypical jobs like teaching, medicine and like, rather than honing their calibre or going after what pulls at their heartstrings.
?I became an activist because I could afford to. I knew my older brother was there to shoulder the responsibilities of my parents. He wanted to get into advertising but cracked the CAT instead and got into an IIM because that?s the tried and tested route to earn a fat pay cheque. Advertising wouldn?t have paid as much. I would have done the same if I were in his shoes. (In our society) it?s easy for the sense of duty to override passion,? says social activist Arunima Pradhan, providing an honest, culturally-rooted view of gender-led professional choices Indians make, luckily to her advantage here.
A similar haziness creeps in when it comes to personal relationships. Here again, though nearly half believe their working, earning status has got nothing to do with whether their husband or boyfriend perceive them as equal or not, a third confess that the partner?s attitude would be different if they were dependents!
And, for all the talk of equal opportunity employers and work-life balance, there are more working women who feel marriage and children hamper professional growth compared to the numbers who think otherwise. Though no one will say it in so many words, the unspoken rule is clear?all things equal, an unmarried, issueless women employee gets preference over a married women with children in both recruitment and career growth.