While Indian women can take pride in the fact that they are storming a growing number of male bastions and shattering glass ceilings to take on roles in corporate boardrooms and senior management, this heartening picture is hardly the norm either in our polity, industry or civil society. Despite having the education and experience to take on leadership positions, women continue to be kept out of decision-making and leadership roles in our country.
This is the case even in women-dominated industries or workplaces. Consider this: Women comprise over 80% of India’s garment industry workers. They do most of the work in transforming reams of cloth into ready-made apparel for sale and export. Yet, it is mainly men who are appointed to supervisory positions. A similar situation exists among civic workers. While it is the women who do the cleaning, the men strut around supervising and ordering them around.
Whether it is the PMO or our Covid-19 Task Forces or even our disaster management teams, these are male-dominated. This is unfortunate, as women have displayed exemplary leadership and decision-making abilities as in the Self-Help Groups that are part of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, for instance.
Appointing women to decision-making roles is essential for several reasons. For one, they deserve it. They have the skill and experience for it and should be appointed to supervisory roles across industries. Besides, it is important for gender relations in the workplace and society. Women are less likely to feel dominated, bullied, undervalued and vulnerable to exploitation if their supervisors comprise both women and men.
They should be able to speak easily about workplace sexual harassment; more women in leadership roles will enable women workers to access support. Importantly, women have vast experience in keeping families and communities together and in building lives and livelihoods. By keeping them out of negotiations and policymaking, we are not drawing on their valuable expertise.
Women’s Day 2021 has thrown the spotlight on women in leadership roles. The coming months will see programmes to draw women into decision-making. Our focus must include not only women working in the corporate sector but also those in small and big private and government-run firms and factories, in the services and the unorganised sector. As India charts its way out of the pandemic, it will need smart, experienced and compassionate leadership, whether in rebuilding our health infrastructure, kickstarting business or energising education. Women can provide that leadership. The change, of course, must start at home.