Women in the Workplace

One occasionally hears of female success stories in the corporate world, but they seem to be exceptions rather than the rule.?For some reason women are still seen more as companions, sisters, mothers, secretaries, objects of devotion and even to be shielded from the harsh realities of the corporate and the terrible world of men! Because it is the twenty first century, this is really pitiful. There are just not enough women in the boardrooms and or occupying the top levels of management to refute this 19th century notion of women!

This lack of representation in leadership roles perpetuates the erroneous stereotype that most women are not capable of holding high-level positions.

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Ely?and Padavic, state emphatically in their article for Harward Business Review "Women made remarkable progress accessing positions of power and authority in the 1970s and 1980s, but that progress slowed considerably in the 1990s and has stalled completely in this century." This lack of progress is not only detrimental to women’s advancement, but also to the overall success and innovation of companies.

What caused this significant downturn? It's not for the absolute lack of successful women; rather, such successes are too infrequent. While exceptions exist, they are not the norm. Often, talented women abandon their careers, settle for domestic life, or choose less prominent, inward-facing roles that lack dynamism and visibility. In the most disheartening cases, capable women accept positions as aides to male superiors who are less competent and, at times, intellectually inferior. This is the realm of 'adjustments'—compromises women make to maintain a perceived necessary 'work-life' balance.

This self-imposed limitation reinforces the stereotype that women should only be homemakers. Conversely, men are raised with the expectation that their role is to be the breadwinner—with women staying at home while men work. Therefore, it is evident that both men and women contribute, to some degree, to hindering a woman's advancement in the workplace.

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This is not a denial of the male “aggression”, existing in the workplace, but that most women (NOT all) tend to collaborate in the limiting of their professional growth. Some can be attributed to the need for flexibility in working hours, in order to meet domestic commitments. This doesn’t mean that every woman has the same reason, but it’s an undeniable fact that most do.?However, this argument doesn’t hold water when it comes to single women with no domestic compulsions. Even they, have a struggle to reach anywhere in the management hierarchy.

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Again, let me clarify, there are successful women, very successful women in the world, more than there have ever been. ?However, men outnumber women, in the worst case, 10 to 1 in some countries, and in others 4 to 1 (US). A study conducted last year by CFA institute in India claimed only 12.5% participation of women in India Inc.

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Is there any way out for women, who really want to grow? Obviously for every problem there is a solution, albeit in this case a hard option. They learn to fight their way up. No am not referring to the physical, though it will inevitably sap physical strength. They must learn to fight using their own skill sets, sharpened to the endth degree. How does one do that? By getting a Mentor.

Unfortunately, mentoring hasn’t been adequately adopted in the India corporate as it has elsewhere. Mentors are to guide mentees in identifying strengths and weaknesses, setting goals, and developing specific skills. This tailored approach ensures that the person receives the support they need to grow professionally. Mentoring should be used as an influential tool for the empowerment of people. Mentoring should not be confused with seeking advice, though some people could have experienced mentoring in different phases of life. Career, family, Decision making, Higher studies etc.

According to a paper published in the Indian Journal of Applied Research “The process of mentoring works both ways, for the mentor and the mentee which results in increasing the job involvement and satisfaction of the mentor. In case of the mentee, she feels valuable, the job satisfaction increases and there is essentially a transfer of knowledge and skills. History is rich with many cases of mentorship. Modern India needs a strong Mentoring for healthy nation build up as well as for effective utilisation of youth power.”

A person no less significant than Tom Hanks openly attributes his achievements to his teacher Rawley Farnsworth. Tom says it was Farnsworth who identified his latent talent and mentored him to his mountainous success.

Unfortunately, since women are at the lower end of the corporate spectrum, there is obviously, a greater need for women to seek mentors. They’d be lucky to find one early in their career, harder as the years go by. Most vulnerable are those with ten plus years behind them in the work place.

Wherever you are in the scheme of things, seek a mentor if you find the going is tough. Women are much stronger than they think and are in many instances stronger than their male counterparts, especially when times are rough.

There is simply no reason why a woman should be merely carried by the tide and have no control as to the direction!