Having taken a few steps in the direction of progress, a lot of companies now somewhat have a balanced men women ratio at workplaces. However, as you go up the number of women keeps decreasing and less than roughly 5% of all companies have women at top positions.
According to a report by UNDP, even though about 50% of the world population comprises of women, together; they own just 1% of the world’s total wealth. Forbes magazine too reports that out of all the Fortune 500 CEO positions, only 4.6% are acquired by women. Thankfully, governmental authorities and companies are now realizing the importance of having women on boards and efforts are being taken to ensure better representation of women.
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, (GLIM) hosted a conference to discuss the impact of women at C-suite levels. Titled, ‘Successful women in Management’, the conference saw women like Anita Tripathi, President of InVentiv International Pharma Services Pvt. Ltd., trangender activist, Kalki Subramanian, head of Leadership Development, India and Sub-Saharan Africa, John Deere India, Seema Raghnathan and Sharda Batra, Director - HR, compensation and benefits, Morgan Stanley; amongst others.
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Hema Bajaj, a Professor at GLIM, started the discussion by saying: “As per a study conducted by consulting firm Caliper, women leaders are more assertive and persuasive, have a stronger need to get things done. Women are masters at multi-tasking, highly collaborative, transparent, and stronger in interpersonal skills. At the same time, they are empathetic, flexible and collegial.” Anita Tripathi added to this by mentioning that data shows having one woman on an organization’s board of directors, reduces the chances of bankruptcy 20%.
The discussion further saw Preethy Unnikrishnan, Head, Campus Recruitment at TCS discuss the importance of role models. She however argued the effect of gender on the success or failure of the company. She believes, “These are the times of alpha talent, not just alpha males or females. Women can succeed if they are not afraid.” Subramaniam, towards the end stated two different but vital points. She talked about how women’s safety was a big factor affecting their involvement in organizations. Traveling and workplace environment play a huge role in determining most women’s choices as well. Talking about transgenders, she then said, “If it’s difficult for women to participate in the corporate world, think of how difficult it is for a transgender.”
ORIGINAL SOURCE: The Hindu Business Line
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/newmanager/why-we-need-more-women-in-the-csuite/article6332222.ece
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