Challenging the status quo ….

Another women’s summit in Bangalore. This one was hosted by NASSCOM at the Leela Palace. Having been part of organizing one of such summit in Bangalore as part of my organisation and attending a few others, this time I was starting to get a little weary. The speakers at these summits are reasonably good, but some excellent.

The companies are the usual suspects from the IT industry, and some of the speakers are repeat.  I see the same folks many times over.  I guess the pool of professional, working and networking women is not much in Bangalore.

According to a study, the number of women is growing accounting for 28% in 2007-08. The numbers look pretty good, but they go below 11% at the top.  This is not something I find surprising.

The agenda at the summit is all around women in leadership, what skills they need and what companies can do to help the women achieve their full potential.  Having spent about 12 years in the industry, I can say this much; the opportunities almost always the same, its just how we women are able navigate the complexities of an organisation large or small. 

There were lot of suggestions from the women attendees about what the organisations should be doing to make work-life balance integration much easier for women. Also, there was chatter about networking skills, leadership skills etc. 

I felt the summit fundamentally lacks teeth because it is keeping itself away from influencing public policy.  A lot of talk which cannot be followed up action, because a lot of it revolves around influencing public policy.

To give a few examples -

The lack of a licensed, well kept, groomed day care centers which allow women to work without any tenstions from 7.30am-6pm – are just absent or not enough or not close to work or home. This prevents the women from being successful at work in those intervening child rearing age. Sometimes even forcing them to pull out. This if ofcourse the situation in Bangalore. But I wouldn’t be surprised if story is same in other cities.

Our fundamental social structures have unwritten rules on how women are to take care of the home  while also following their ambitions. This puts a lot of pressure on the women. A sick child takes a couple of days away from work while the male colleagues are able to focus without those  disturbances.

Indian men, a majority of them, still don’t enter the kitchen or help with household chores or take care of the kids. A majority of well educated women are unable to negotiate an equal relationship at home. The lack of confidence that prevails among these women, further disempowers them when they meet their male colleagues at work, who often are of the same kind as their husbands. They also find it difficult to negotiate the organisational politics as women are more likely to be confused on what is ethical and unethical when navigating the organisational ladder.  This confusing state of affairs, and the pressure at home, often force women to bolt out of their careers to become home makers. 

The infrastructure situation in bangalore is hindering smart, young and talented women from finding a role in an office that is not too far, allows telecommuting and other flexibile options.

So my request to NASSCOM and other industry bodies organising such an event – Please include substantial discussion around public policy initiatives and social change. I believe that will have more impact in the short-term and long term because just organisations alone cannot do everything to get more women to take on leadership roles.

Obviously you can take the horse to the water but you cannot make it drink.