For centuries, women have often been seen as the weaker sex, and stereotyped in many ways, that were discouraging. As time progressed, women stepped up, took charge of their lives, and broke away from stereotypes to achieve great heights.
On Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of five such women who have chosen to Break The Bias, and share their personal experiences.
“Looking back, I remember when I first conceptualised the idea of setting up Mpower to change the way mental health was addressed in India, there weren’t too many conversations around the topic. Back then, mental health was regarded much more of a taboo than it is today. No one spoke openly about it, and even lesser people sought help for mental illnesses.
Breaking away from the stereotypes, I set out with a mission to drive change, to encourage open conversations, and acceptance of reality. Today, with Mpower, we have helped people to not only recognise it as a critical area that needs immediate attention but also that it needs to be spoken about more and more. I am very happy that we continued our conversations on mental health, so that that people can lead a productive life”
– Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust
“At the start of my career, I spent a decade in a non-tech male dominated field before moving to the tech industry. Even before my transition, I was always fascinated by the impact technology has on society. It was but natural for me to join the tech industry when I got the opportunity to contribute and harness the power of technology to create a positive impact.
In any society, there are always two kinds of voices, one that supports and one that detracts. I believe it is important to focus on voices that support. When it comes to women in tech, years of ingrained unconscious gender bias plays out strongly against them, and the resultant noise causes loss of focus. There are stereotypes and behaviours that result in undermining women. Mansplaining is one such behaviour that is rampant across organisations. A man will automatically jump in to explain what he thinks a woman colleague meant (whether or not he is qualified to explain is not even a consideration). Women need to own the power and not wait for permission.
The good news is that today there is higher awareness amongst women. There are active dialogues happening and some of it is translating into action to bring in gender equality. There is significant effort being driven within organisations to bring in gender parity. Once women start extending help to other women and each pays it forward, a virtuous cycle will begin which will hopefully create a place where gender dialogues will not be needed.”
– Madhurima Agarwal, director of engineering programs and leader, NetApp Excellerator
“Every year we celebrate Women’s Day to acknowledge the potential and contribution of women. The percentage of women joining the workforce has definitely increased. When I started my career, I observed that only a handful of women opted for jobs in the technology sector. In fact, most of the time, I was the only woman in the team. Now, I can confidently say this scenario has evolved. While the corporate world is improving rapidly in terms of enhancing opportunities for women in technology, they can nurture them further by offering the required flexibility and exciting opportunities. This will ensure creation of more women role-models and it will inspire the next generation to take up technology roles. One more thing that I would like to point out – while we women expect the government, education, and the organizations to do their best to enable us to be a part of the technology leadership, we also need to be inquisitive, proactive and demand for the most challenging roles to grow and progress.”
– Lakshmi Mittra, VP and Head, Clover Academy
“Women have demonstrated time and again that they are relentless in their pursuit of solutions to challenging problems. In a multitude of industries, including healthcare, hospitality, politics, and innovation, women have taken the lead. The idea is to encourage women to actively challenge preconceptions and remind themselves that they should not be afraid to follow their goals and dreams. Technology, in conjunction with the internet, allows anyone anywhere in the world to expand and establish a business while also providing access to a wealth of information.
As how we think and how we comprehend is ingrained in our childhood, I believe it is the responsibility of schools, teachers and parents to ensure that, like boys, girls are given adequate exposure to STEM-related concepts (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) through conducting sessions, activities, and other means. This would help dispel the myth that technology professions aren’t for women, and more girls would choose educational paths such as data analytics, engineering, and statistics. Women in our country are setting records and making breakthroughs in various sectors. Let us all make a commitment to supporting gender equality and eliminating inequity between men and women.”
– Radhika Sinha – Principal, Aditya Birla World Academy
Despite International Women’s Day is approaching, I believe that every day is Women’s Day. With everything that is going on, I know there are many of us who are lacking motivation, confidence and are uncertain. I’d like to just remind all women that we are strong, we have a voice, and we have the heart and ability to change the world. So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, harness that power within you, and as Nora Ephron says, “Be the heroine of your life and not the victim.” Happy Women’s Day.
– Ms Jyotsna Uttamchandani, Executive Director, Syska Group.
