The reality of the business world, especially in India, has been that it has been a male-dominated workforce; this trend has been true for erstwhile developing nations too. There has been a wide gap between men and women workforce; men have assumed more powerful positions and have been largely present in positions of responsibility. Although we have had women in the workforce for quite some years now, only very few have risen to the ranks of top leadership, they have not been given the same level of responsibilities and powers. It is high time that this scenario changes.
Women often offer a unique and holistic perspective of things; for any project/work to be executed successfully, it must be viewed and analysed from varied perspectives, and women do this very well. Men typically look at a problem or solution from a particular point of view; they have a more binary or black-and-white view of things. They focus more on how to successfully implement a job but often skip the softer angles of the task; this leads to more unilateral decision-making. Since many of these men are surrounded by more men, it only leads to conformity bias, as they also look at a situation from a similar lens. This is one of the main reasons why companies with greater diversity do much better than companies which are less diverse.
Women bring in the perspective of empathy, kindness, and a more holistic standpoint; they are better at spectrum thinking and possess the ability to take multiple angles into account. Make no mistake; women are as skilled, or even more, when it comes to handling position of responsibilities. If you look, many women who rose to leadership positions have done extremely well. Women leaders also have a great sense of nurturing; I have seen them being great mentors to their colleagues and helping them to realize their potential and shine.
In my experience, women are also well-equipped to visualize the larger impact of things on people in the long run and society at large. That is why many successful ESG, CSR, HR and Communication leaders are women. This does not imply that women should be limited to these roles; in our organization, many bright women leaders are heads of sales functions, which is typically thought to be better suited for men.
MD & CEO Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
It is also important that women in leadership positions should share their experiences and be more vocal, which will encourage other women to choose roles towards which they may have apprehensions simply because of their gender. Also, women too should break the shackles of gender bias; in many cases, they have biases towards certain roles and jobs, and they should break free from these stereotypes. Women should challenge the status quo and take up roles perceived as better suited for men.
The good part is that, over the years, I have seen gender stereotypes getting crushed, and that is a positive change. It is healthy to build a gender-neutral society, and having more women in leadership positions will be the right step in the right direction. Diversity and inclusion should become a norm, inclusion should not be restricted to only gender, and each organization should aim to build an all-inclusive workplace where everyone is heard, valued, and respected.
I am sure that in time to come, more and more women will take positions of responsibility and power and, thus, contribute to the holistic growth of their organization, society, and country at large. The uniqueness that they bring is surely going to have a more lasting and positive impact.
