My friends,

This is an article appeared in Sunday edition of "Times of India" on July 12, 2009. I want you to go through this article and give a serious thought to it.I just wanted to find out whether this kind of discrimination prevails in our organizations or not and if it is there what is it's magnitude and share all your experiences and observations in this forum so that an awareness can be created among all against this kind of discrimination. Read on and I look forward for active participation of all members in this topic....



LAST year when Forbes released its annual list of the worlds most powerful women, only four Indian women made it to the top 100. According to a member of the Bombay Stock Exchange, only 4.9 per cent women were on the boards of the over 4,000 companies listed. No surprise then, that industrialist Ness Wadia is said to have dumped Priety Zinta for being a tad too career-oriented !

As much as men and management would like us to believe that the glass ceiling is now a myth, it still prevails. Nirmala Menon, founder of Interweave , admitted at a recent CII conference ; Women on top are still rare. Globally, they comprise only 10 per cent of senior managers in Fortune 500 companies. In India, women comprise only three per cent of senior management.

A senior woman manager says, Very few men are willing to treat a woman as an equal. They are far too insecure and prefer to treat her as a child or a half brain. They will make statements like, Just look at this once and Ill finalise it. Why bother yourself This can be most irritating to an intelligent, thinking woman who, if not better, is definitely, his equal in intelligence . Agrees another senior executive, When a man is decisive, hes dynamic, but when a woman displays the same firmness, shes difficult in the eyes of men.

Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty from Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai, refers to a recent case study where a group of employees were debating about the new logo for their company. When a woman suggested red, a colleague remarked that she was recommending it as it matched the colour of her sari. All the men present laughed indulgently without realising it had a very sexist connotation. Such a remark would never be made to a male colleague. This mindset reflects a cultural conditioning that will take centuries to be c o m p l e t e ly wiped out, cites Dr Shetty. Even as men and women work shoulder to shoulder, discrimination between the sexes exists. Radhika Roy (name changed on request), a pharmaceutical manager says, I was denied a promotion last year, as the management assumed that I was 28 and would be married soon. Consequently, I wouldnt be able to give the same amount of dedication or time to my work, it was perc e ive d . M e e ra Sanyal, country executive, India, ABN-Amro Bank states, A career woman is also someones wife, mother and daughter-in-law and thus has to deal with responsibilities. This gives rise to certain periods in life where shes forced to make a choice between her career and home. Its here that the organisation can show solidarity. Chanda Kochhar, head of ICICI bank, however points out, Women too shouldnt expect any special advantages or favours.

Another mid-level HR manager Rinita Sen (name changed on request) points to sexual politics . My supervisor , a married, middle-aged man was making sexual advances towards me. Things reached a head when he started touching my hands etc. I complained to my super boss. The issue became a major furore. I was asked whether I had responded to his proposals . Humiliated, I quit. Women still have to break stereotypical roles to succeed. Tarjani Vakil , Indias first woman CEO in the financial sector attributes this, largely to the male chauvinistic attitude. Even during the US presidential elections , Hillary Clinton couldnt break the glass ceiling." Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw , chairman and MD, Biocon Limited, confesses that when she started out in 1978, women were considered high risk in the business world. However, she believes, The picture is positive now with more Indian women making a mark in diverse fields from banking, biotechnology to politics. So, heres hoping Priety can keep her chin up and just pick up a glass hammer.