Women empowerment lately has been the hottest topic for discussions and debates. Everybody is talking how women can be established as equal to men, given equal rights and treated with dignity. But are we really there? Well, not yet.

The change comes from within and nothing is really going to change until the mindset of people changes. When we talk about women playing an important role in shouldering the responsibility of family on financial front, we may come up with the fact that many working women are now surfacing the face of this world. But is this the entire fact? The answer to this question might not be surprising but eye-opening.

Though more and more women are working now and earning for themselves and in some cases for their family as well, the fact that they are ‘women’ is still falling prey to the patriarchal thinking.

Working women are expected to shoulder all the responsibilities of their home, family and society and their work is not considered a priority. Recent reports have shown that India accounts for the 3rd lowest nation when it comes to seeing women into leadership roles. The situation is quite distressing. A nation where we discuss day and night about empowering and strengthening the position of women, this does not sound good.

India is a patriarchal nation and the male dominancy is obvious. Though there is a significant rise in the number of working and independent women over the years, the situation of women doesn’t seem to get any better. The number of rapes, domestic violence cases and other atrocities that women face here, is a matter of shame.

While women safety is a big and different issue, what we will be focusing in this post is the lack of women leaders in India and what is stopping women from taking the initiative and achieving what they want.

When there are more women into the workforce and leadership roles, the work policies will be more women-centric. A country where almost half of the population comprises of women, very few women as leaders and entrepreneurs is a matter of discussion. The women are fighting at many fronts. Majority of women are struggling to be an ideal daughter, wife, daughter-in-law and mother and are constantly judged on every aspect. They are still expected to do all the household chores and their work if suffers due to all this, it is not seen as a problem.

Men are never expected to take off from their work due to any family emergency and it is always the women who have to sacrifice. This concept does not support the idea of gender equality and women empowerment. It is more like burdening the women even more, where she has increased workload and stress and has to manage multiple things without any support.

There various workplace issues faced by women.

Women employees are often ridiculed at the workplace for various reasons and the male counterparts never hesitate to crack jokes on women. The mentality that the society hold for women is not so pleasing and clearly showcases the double standards and hypocrisy.

Not just the corporate, we see fewer women leaders in other domains like politics, business and education. Women are underrepresented in various fields.

While on one hand we talk about giving women freedom and equal treatment, on the contrary our actions are everything opposite to it.

Another question that is often looked upon is that why are women seen as an ineffective leader and manager?

Why is there gender leadership gap?

Women manage their household well and today’s working women have an expertise in handling both work and home at the same time. The multi-tasking ability of women cannot be ignored. There are many qualified women who are perfect for the leadership roles yet are nowhere to be seen. Women surmount men when it comes to academics, yet they lag in leadership positions.

So, when women are well-educated, skilled and hard-working, what is stopping them from getting this big shot? Women are mostly underpaid as compared to their male counterparts at the same level and with similar qualifications. There are some restrictions to entry of women in the workplace, but majorly they face various issues when it comes to their development. Women are introduced to more defiance and more desolation as they make a move to the higher positions. If a woman is ambitious and is working hard to achieve something big in her career, she is labelled as an over-ambitious woman who does not wishes to take care of her family and is selfish to the core. This judgmental behavior against women tears them apart and they many-a-times mental breakdown and often give up on their successful career. Those who continue working face several issues and are victim of prejudice at the workplace as well, as if their homes weren’t enough.

A few reasons why women are lagging in leadership roles:

• Sexual discrimination: While gender equality is a topic discussed more to garner attention and become a hero rather than really working on it, the reality is still the same. Women and men are seen in different light and women are still subjected to discrimination- their crime? - is just being a woman. Women are often pictured as an entity whose job is to fetch the household and stay back at home taking care of everyone. Even if she is working, she is expected to fulfill ‘her’ duties towards her home. They are thought to be less competent than men. They are thought of as a feeble creature who has no stand of its own.
• Adverse work environment: When women face discrimination based on gender at the workplace too, the working environment becomes very hostile. It impacts their growth and efficiency. This also becomes one reason why women are unable to reach at higher positions.
• Gender stereotypes related to women: Stereotyping women is the most common problem faced by women in day-to-day life. There are certain negative stereotypes about women that keeps them from coming forward. A few to mention are:
  • Women are not good leaders
  • Women are emotional and they cannot make good decisions
  • Women cannot gel-up with other women at workplace
  • Women are not career oriented. They are more inclined towards their family and will let go off work for it.
  • Women are not good entrepreneurs. They are not risk bearers.

All these stereotypes make it difficult for women to find a way of moving ahead.

• Lack of support: The lack of support from both the workplace and the homes force women to give up on their career or take a break. It also makes it difficult for them to make a comeback. Women have to bear the household responsibilities and work pressure at the same time and the family support is little to none. They are expected to take care of every little thing in their home. Mostly the organizations also do not provide the facility of paid parental leave or other such facilities which could help working mothers. This lack of support leaves women in splits and they often end up letting go off their career and position.

Mentioned above are only a few reasons which lead to gender leadership gap. What one needs to understand here is that this issue is more of a pathway problem rather than a pipeline one. The thought process needs to be revamped and made better. Be it gender equality or other issues, the solution to each issue can only be through our efforts and will.

Encouraging women to come forward will be good for all. It is a better idea to move on from the typical stereotypes related to women and even the gender roles, as to who should do what. Anything works two-way; as these factors are keeping women from taking up leadership roles, the same status quo is holding back men from adapting caretaking and supporting roles.

Gender equality is good for both families and organizations. The families can have good income by both the partners earning good and the organizations can benefit from the creativity and skills of a diverse workforce and realize the purchasing power of a woman. For the nation also, it is a winning situation as the more the diversity, the more talented and skilled the leaders will be.

• It is time when we let go off the gender issue and work towards building an equal society where everyone has a chance to excel irrespective of gender or any other factor.
• The organizations should adapt policies supporting women and give women employees facilities like paid parental leave, work from home, etc. so that women can carry on with their work without anything holding them back.
• The male co-workers should also be supportive and should refrain from making any gender-specific remarks.
• The families should also be supportive of the women in their household and the responsibility of home should not be thought of as a sole job of women, but males should also contribute to it.

Turacoz Foundation strongly believes that women are capable of doing anything and everything. They just need a little support and that is why we are here for. Turacoz Foundation aims at making women independent financially, emotionally and mentally. We train women in medical writing and offer them work-from-home opportunities. Whether you are starting your career or returning after a break, we are glad to help you and you can join us in this journey of women empowerment.

We believe that a woman is more than just a gender. To know more about us and to be a part of the growing Turacoz family, write to us at [email protected]