The Macro And Micro Dimensions Of Gender Parity At Workplace

Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google once said, "A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone." Gender diversity at the workplace is definitely an idea whose time has come but it is also a fact that it is not implemented widely.

Every year, around International Women's day, there are debates that ask, "Why can't we have more gender parity at work?" We cannot however answer such questions without contextualising them first in ground realities.

According to UNICEF, India is the only large country where more girls die than boys even though globally girls have higher survival rates at birth. Girls are also more likely to drop out of school and statistics confirm that the pandemic has impacted their education grievously.

Unsplash

This is not to discount the enormous strides women have made in the business world. So many Indian women are leading global companies but it is also a fact that patriarchy, societal prejudices and economic conditions hurt gender parity not just in corporate arenas but in every aspect of life.

The macro reality of gender disparity

The big picture requires deep thinking and deeper work on behalf of governments, societies and of course workplaces to ensure that women are no longer restricted from enjoying full social and economic freedoms.

According to the World Bank¡¯s Women, Business and the Law 2022 report, "Around 2.4 billion women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity and 178 countries maintain legal barriers that prevent their full economic participation. In 86 countries, women face some form of job restriction and 95 countries do not guarantee equal pay for equal work."

Globally, says the report, women still have only three quarters of the legal rights afforded to men. Mari Pangestu, World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships says, "While progress has been made, the gap between men's and women¡¯s expected lifetime earnings globally is US$172 trillion - nearly two times the world¡¯s annual GDP. Governments need to accelerate the pace of legal reforms so that women can realize their full potential and benefit fully and equally.¡±

Inequality anywhere has ramifications everywhere. This month, Sheatwork, a knowledge hub for women entrepreneurs, unveiled a report on ¡®State of Women Tech Entrepreneurship in India¡¯ in partnership with Techarc, a consultancy firm and reported that though female students in engineering institutes have grown, the same isn¡¯t translating to women-led startups. According to another report by YourStory, only four of India¡¯s 96 unicorns are led by women and the number of new startups founded by women has dropped by 66.67 percent from 2018.

Many aspects of one issue

Unsplash

Gender disparity is a complex issue.

According to the 'Women, Business and the Law 2022 ' report, laws and regulations across 190 countries impact women¡¯s economic participation. They also face mobility issues, workplace and pay disparities, challenges of marriage, parenthood etc. Society is still far from changing its idea of gendered parenting roles and so it is left to organisations to ensure that young mothers do not fall out of the employment stream. Incentives like paid leave, flexible hours and onsite childcare facilities can help.

To make workplaces gender inclusive, it is also important that we make them safe, offer equal pay and opportunities. But none of this is possible until society too becomes a level playing field where women are treated as equals at home, in educational institutions and are not restricted by cultural and religious barriers.

What can be done to bridge the gender gaps?

Job portal Monster.com, says the representation of women in tech jobs is only 15% as of mid-February this year, and accounts for 13 lakh jobs in the sector. The good news is there has been a consistent increase in the percentage of women in the workforce over the years though there are undoubtedly areas where we could do more. Upskilling and reskilling can help women who are coming back to work after a long gap or are feeling stagnant in their jobs. Training, mentoring, and skill development can help women access more opportunities and play bigger and better roles in their organisations.

Getting past entrenched biases

Unsplash

Throughout history, women's contribution to science and technology has remained largely unsung and even on social media platforms like Twitter, it is common for laymen to talk down to women in tech. This indicates how deeply rooted our ideas about gendered roles in the workplace are.

The fact remains that not only can women helm cutting-edge technological innovations, they can also bring unique perspectives to the boardroom table. This is something that women should acknowledge about themselves too and thus they should apply for the jobs they want with confidence.

What does the future hold?

A study published in February this year by diversity consulting firm Avtar titled ,'Status of Women in Workforce Participation in India' indicates that the number of employable women jobseekers is expected to be 7.6 crores this year compared to 5.7 crores in 2016. It also says that there is an increase of 18.2 per cent in female enrollment for higher education in the last five years. Hybrid and remote working modules, gradual shifts in social and cultural attitudes also promise that more women than ever before will be working in diverse jobs in the near future. Let us hope that we can build on this momentum and build bridges where there were once only gaps.

About the author: Alok Bansal is the MD of Visionet Systems India and Global Head of BFSI Business. All views/ opinions expressed in the article are of the author.