Women at workplace- Are they culprits too?

Gender inequality is an issue that is discussed majorly in every part of the world. There are myriads of surveys and articles showing the numbers. While this is not what we are going to talk about, here is a glance at some of the shocking (Or not so shocking) numbers for India:

Female population : 48% (Source: Central statistics office)

Literacy rate : Female 64.6% , Male - 81.5% (Source: National Sample Survey @ Observer Research Foundation’s India Data Labs)

Female participation in higher education : 46% (Source: Central statistics office)

Not bad! The numbers show an increase in both overall literacy rate and registrations for higher education. In spite of this, according to different survey results, the numbers don't look very impressive in below areas:

Women participation in labour force : 27%

Women in leadership role : 20%

53% of top Indian companies have male to female ratio of 10:1 or worse!

This clearly shows there has been an increase in both women literacy rate and their participation in higher education but at the same time, the number of women in the workplace is quite depressing. Yes, We are still facing more or less the same issues that we have been facing since years in a slightly different form.

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Why so? Let's try to put together major reasons why women are still facing less participation and inequality issues especially at workplaces.

• Gender stereotype restricting the access to education for girls.

• If at all girls are getting education, families are still skeptical of women travelling for work.

• Pressure of managing family and household continues to be on women’s plates.

• Women are still getting smashed under mental harassment at workplaces.

• Pressure of getting married under a certain age continues to be more on women.

While problems like mentioned above continue to be the barricades towards gender parity, there is more. There is something that is adding up to all of these. Something we overlook and could be playing a significant role to extend inequality.

As shocking as it may sound, women are unknowingly slowing down the path of success for themselves. We have been oblivious about it forever and that is the most appalling fact.

Women or for that matter men have been conditioned to behave in a certain manner. In a country like India, the society has been patriarchal for the longest time. Since childhood, girls are taught to do all household work. Girls are put restrictions on things like going out, dressing up or even speaking about their opinions in public. In fact, girls have been taught to compromise a lot! They are asked to drop out of schools so that they can take care of their family or so that their brothers can get proper education. In later parts of their lives, they are asked to get married at an early age so that they help their partners to manage the house. Whereas, Boys have been given freedom since their childhood. There are hundreds of such things where we can clearly observe a trend.

How is this related to women in the workspace anyway? Lets see. Here are some facts that may help you understand.

• Confidence:

Women have been raised in the above mentioned environment which deteriorates their confidence . They have been short of freedom their entire life. This gives them a lesser exposure to the world resulting in doubting themselves. Less confidence makes them dubious to stand beside others at the workplace.

• Hesitation while giving an opinion:

Being a part of a gender biased environment, women somewhere are worried about the consequences if they speak up. They carry this fear of society judging them if they speak up. This fear often results in more women hiding their opinion or compromising on expressing their views.

• Non negotiation for salaries/promotion:

For many years, Male breadwinner model has been followed by the most part of the world. In modern times, when this perception is changing there are still loopholes. People are ok with women working but they still don't consider their career to be the top priority. The unpaid labor(Women caregiver model) is considered to be women's responsibility. This perception fails women to understand the importance of their role and value addition to the company. At the end, they settle for whatever is offered as a privilege and they end up getting paid less. The same goes when it comes to asking for promotions.

• Compromise out of guilt:

While women understand the importance of creating their own identity, they still carry the burden of being the responsible one to manage family. We are happy to see more and more women standing on their feet but at what cost? Women still think that they are accountable for running the family errands. They are anxious about having a child at a certain age because we live in a world where women not desiring a child can be considered as selfish. As a result of this blurry line between must have a child and want to have a child, women compromise on moving ahead and sometimes they drop out.

There could be more. Question is what can we as individuals do? What messages do we tell ourselves, our mothers and our daughters? Having fair and equal access is something no man or woman should have to fight for. Standing for one’s self should not be a privilege, should be a value that each and every responsible human possesses. However, let's accept that the world has not been that fair, especially for women. We live in a world where it's harder for women to choose between professional success and personal fulfilment or it may not even be a choice for many. So while we fight for equal rights, equal access to basic things, equal respect, equal opportunities; we need to diminish the preconceived ideal versions of ourselves that society had gifted us. We need to realize we are not obliged to answer anyone for taking our own decisions. We need to unlearn taking the back seat for everyone else. We need to speak up even when it's not well received (when it's not because of something you spoke but because you are a woman who spoke!). We need to be aware of what we deserve. Take that job. Explain your family why it is important to you. Educate them to understand the worth of a woman. Take that decision of choosing between two. Choose your career if you feel it’s right. Quit your job if you feel it's right. Don't give up. Ask for that promotion you deserve. Put your views on the table. Speak with confidence. Walk with your head up.

So ladies, it's high time we become the people we are, not the people they want us to be! For a beautiful tomorrow, Let's raise our voice. Let's be more self assured. Let's not underestimate ourselves. Because , we can change the world. Let the change be from within so the world has no choice but follow. Let's love and respect ourselves before we do that for others.

Let's fight today so that the women tomorrow don't have to. I already see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Note: This article is dedicated to those women who aspire to progress in their career but are stuck and could seek some motivation.