Gita Gopinath is one of the world's outstanding economists, IMF said. (Photo | IMF Twitter)
KOCHI: As Malayalees cheer the ascension of Gita Gopinath as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), back home in Kerala, top positions in think-tanks or ‘corner offices’ in the corporate world continue to elude women, with an odd exception or two.
Experts attribute women’s struggles to the balancing act they have to do between the workplace and the family-household chores, forcing them to sacrifice their careers unless they get adequate support at home. “Not just in Kerala, across the world, it is very challenging for women to venture into the top positions. It requires a lot of compromises and most of the women fear taking risks as it may jeopardise their families. Self-courage and support are factors that drive a woman to keep going,” said Jaya Jacob Alexander, human resources head, Geojit Financial Services.
In the modern world, doubting the abilities of women remains prevalent among men which prevents them from acquiring the top positions. “Especially, women in the corporate field are seen much lower to men,” said Neethi Elizabeth Varghese, founder of Ezva, a multi-designer store in Kochi.
“There is a common attitude among people to consider women as a pain. They feel men can take up jobs better than women; they take leave for pregnancy, they have difficulty in travelling and the like. Due to all these reasons, they are held back in the corporate world.”
Neethi - daughter of Viju Jacob, managing director of Synthite Industries Ltd - worked for two-and-a-half years with her father. Later, she chose to chase her dreams in fashion.“I have seen the negative attitude of men in many corporate places. They always repress women silently, rather than acknowledging their skills. Women remain in the lower posts and men get promoted to top posts,” Neethi said. The way women handle situations is amazing, said Uma Preman, founder, Santhi Medical Information Centre.
“Men lack that ability to an extent. Women handle a whole lot of things at the same time. They must be encouraged, and in a few years, we will be witnessing a change,” she said.A major reason women fall behind men in the corporate world is the maternity leave they take in the course of work, said D Dhanuraj, chairman, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR).
“Once they return from leave, many either resign or don’t take up additional responsibilities. After a break, it will be a bit difficult for them to get back to the daily routine at work. There are only five or six women holding top positions in the Fortune 500 companies in the US, known for its liberal values,” said Dhanuraj.
As far as small companies are concerned, he said, hiring another person when women go for maternity leave is not affordable. For a country like India, family constraints too are a major hurdle.
