UNFAIRER TO THE FAIRER SEX

THE ARTICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM ASCENT TIMES, 7TH MARCH 2012 ISSUE.
Have you ever seen young boys and girls playing together with a toy kitchen, pretending to cook dinner or bake cupcakes? Maybe not! Even today, primary school textbooks continue to reinforce gender stereotypes with pictorial representations of a woman in the kitchen and father in the office, right? Unfortunately, corporate India isnt spared either. According to reports/studies by Catalyst (a non-profit organization expanding opportunities for women), men were more likely to reach senior positions than women. Here, we explore hidden truths that make the transition to senior leadership positions difficult for women.

CORPORATE INDIA LADIES SHARE WITH VIREN NAIDU STARTLING HIDDEN TRUTHS THAT RESTRICT A WOMANS JOURNEY TO THE TOP. THE HIDDEN TRUTHS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED FURTHER.

HIDDEN TRUTH #1

COMPANIES WITH A HIGH REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN ON THEIR BOARD OF DIRECTORS SIGNIFICANTLY OUTPERFORM THOSE WITH LOW REPRESENTATION BY 84 PER CENT ON ROS (RETURN ON SALES).YET,FOSTERING WOMEN LEADERSHIP IS NOT A PRIORITY!

PALLAVI JHA ( CHAIRPERSON AND MD DALE CAMAGIE TRAINING INDIA) : Just three per cent of the Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Hence, with such a huge dearth of female role models, How can the existing women workforce march ahead?????

HIDDEN TRUTH #2

ONLY 17 PER CENT OF INDIAN COMPANIES OFFER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES TARGETED TOWARDS WOMEN.

KALPANA ( DIRECTOR, INDIA SOFTWARE LAB, IBM, INDIA) :Are we ensuring there are enough women in all talent development programes? Is the HR manager approaching women candidates for key leadership opportunities? ????

HIDDEN TRUTH #3

A WORKING MOTHER NEEDS NOT ONLY A FLEXI-PLAN, BUT ALSO A CAREER GROWTH ONE

PALLAVI JHA: At work, the ambitions begin to conflict when women settle down. At this point, they undergo stress and turn to their employers to provide them with a socially acceptable window to balance their priorities. It is here where all the flexi benefits help the individual crossover to a full routine in a couple of years.

HIDDEN TRUTH #4

WOMEN MUST ADOPT STRATEGIES DIFFERENT FROM THEIR MALE COLLEAGUESTO ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS

CECY KURUVILLA (GLOBAL DIRECTOR@ AMECAA): Research has shown that male stereotyping often results in women needing to work harder to get the same rewards. Likelihood that women will leave to have a family, make the climb to the top for women harder than men.