BENGALURU: About 53 per cent of working women believe their workplaces are still male-dominated, reveals a report by ICICI Lombard, which surveyed working women aged 22-55 years, covering several aspects such as migration for work, resuming work post maternity, women at work facing menopause, among others.
According to the survey, around 46 per cent women aged 22-33 years and 35 per cent women aged 34-44 years think workplaces are still dominated by men. Women in the telecom and manufacturing sector experienced more instances of gender discrimination than any other sector, it says.
Around 62 per cent women, who responded to the survey, find that there is a disconnect between the job they hold and the one they imagined it to be. About 5 per cent of older women have faced some sort of abuse in the workplace, resulting in one out of three of them quitting the job. About 97 respondents said life has changed positively post migrating for work.
The survey statistics show that as women grow old (45-55 years), the kind of job assigned to them are more inclined towards male preference. The younger categories — in the age groups of 22-33 years and 33-44 years — think promotions get impacted in a male-dominated workplace.
Around 62 per cent women believe that recognition at par with male counterparts notwithstanding, there is a gap when it comes to remuneration. This was found to be more prevalent in the manufacturing and financial sector.While 31 per cent of women received proper support from their workplace and faced no difficulties resuming work after maternity, 62 per cent said have had apprehensions and difficulties such as concentration issues, and found it strenuous to achieve a work-life balance. The survey also disclosed a hard-hitting fact: While 73 per cent of organisations provide maternity insurance, none of them provide a resting or feeding area for new moms.