CHENNAI: After so many years of the women’s liberation movement, equality and empowerment of this species continue to be a topic of debate and discussion. Despite the leaps and bounds made by women in certain pockets of society, when it comes to matters of work (also elsewhere), not all women have it good, it seems.
As gender bias, the constraints of age-old gender roles, family structures and the pressures they bestow, still remain deterrents to a woman’s career, FICCI FLO’s Chennai Chapter sought to guide women through a webinar on ‘Women in Corporate Boardrooms’. Anjali Bansal, founder of Avaana Capital, chairperson of Dena bank, and co-founder and chairperson of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) addressed a virtual gathering of over 180 women and discussed their everyday problems at the corporate workplace.
Moderating the conversation, journalist Shunali Shroff got Anjali to address the limited prospects of women between the age of 30 and 40, with a number of them dropping out at a mid-level position. “The management, although with good intentions, believe that managing a house and a high post at work may get too taxing for a woman. It is wrong that they make that decision for the woman. If a woman thinks she cannot manage her life after a promotion, she should be the one making the decision. It is during these times that women seek support from their families.
They too have to create an environment in which women can make their decisions without restrictions,” advised Anjali. She pointed out that the lockdown has only made work worse for women, as they find their personal and professional commitments colliding head-on. “Many women have confided saying that they are unable to focus on their job while being at home, and they can’t wait to get back to the office,” she says, further emphasising the need for the family to chip in where required to ensure the woman gets to have it all.