GENDER ROLE
Pakistan's gender gap index hits rock bottom, second worst globally
Women's rights activists have issued impassioned pleas for both state and societal commitment to address gender disparities effectively.society and the government.
A woman's place is in the boardroom
India Inc can attain gender parity by emphasizing middle managers through affirmative action in college and entry-level corporate hiring, ensuring a balanced representation at all levels for effective corporate governance.
Diversity initiatives are bringing more women to certain roles: Survey
Indian companies are prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives, with varying levels of women's representation across roles highlighted in a Manpower Group survey. Administrative and operational roles show higher female presence, while top-level management and STEM roles exhibit lower representation. Key findings emphasize the importance of trust, relationship building, and technology-driven solutions like AI for unbiased recruitment.
How does Sudha Murty define gender equality? 'Like two wheels of a bicycle'
In a recent video, author and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty shared her views on gender equality, emphasizing that men and women are equal but in different ways. She likened their relationship to two wheels of a bicycle, stating that they complement each other and are essential for progress. Murty highlighted the unique strengths of each gender, noting that women often excel in languages, management, and emotional intelligence, while men may have higher IQs but lower emotional quotients.
View: Gender diversity needs work
This year, 797 women candidates contested the general elections, constituting 9.6% of the total 8,337 candidates. Only 74 of them won a seat in the 18th Lok Sabha - four fewer than the number of women in the 17th Lok Sabha. This comes less than a year after the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, which reserves one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and assemblies for women.
From stuffed toys to sports cars, sales break gender rules
Gender norms are blurring in purchasing decisions, particularly in urban India, with more men and women adopting newer hats in their social and professional lives. Consumer goods companies are adapting their marketing strategies to address this change. Women are increasingly buying 'toys for boys', such as drones and remote-control cars, accounting for 25-30% of Hamleys' sales.
More women employees break free from 9-5 cycle, hustle for gig work
The number of female professionals opting for freelance roles surged, with a 300% increase in female consultants in India in FY24 over FY22, as per data from Flexing It shared exclusively with ET. In FY24, global organizations increasingly looked to India for high-quality talent at lower costs, taking advantage of the country's robust post-pandemic remote work practices.
This engineer switched her gender to male on social media: What happened next reveals the dark truth of online advertising
Engineer Karen de Sousa Pesse conducted an eye-opening experiment by changing her gender from female to male on social media platforms. This simple alteration led to a significant shift in the advertisements she received, highlighting prevalent gender stereotypes. Her LinkedIn post sparked discussions on the impact of such biases in marketing and received varied responses from users. Pesse's experiment sheds light on the need for more inclusive advertising practices.
India Inc doubles down on getting the gender mix right
Naina Lal Kidwai, chairperson of Rothschild & Co, who is also on the board of directors of Biocon and UPL, said one of the big factors fuelling this change is ESG reporting. Companies, especially the larger ones, are seeking ratings from global firms like Moody’s where one of the questions being asked is around diversity and inclusion. Indian companies also need to disclose Business Responsibility and Sustainability reporting besides adhering to integrated reporting where ESG etc, is being integrated into annual reports.
India’s five big IT firms see net exit of 25,000 women in FY24
The data analysis by staffing firm Xpheno revealed that five of India's top IT services companies - Infosys, TCS, Wipro, LTI Mindtree, and HCL Tech - have seen a collective net exit of 25,000 women in the year ending March. Despite an increase in the total number of women employed by these firms from 374,000 in March 2020 to 540,000 in March 2023, the diversity ratio has only seen a marginal growth of 0.9 percentage points during this period.
Percentage of women in senior leadership roles increases to 18% in 2023 from 16% in 2016: Report
The report by LinkedIn and The Quantum Hub highlights that while there has been an increase in women joining the workforce, leadership positions still lack gender parity. The representation of women across the workforce rose to 26.8% in 2024, but senior leadership roles only account for 18.3%, showing a decline from the previous year. Industries like education and government administration have higher female leadership representation, while sectors like construction and utilities lag behind.
New-age macho man
The concept of 'macho man' has evolved to include intellectual and emotional dimensions, impacting gender roles and promoting inclusivity, societal harmony, global influence, and empathy.
For India to shine, more and more girls must take up STEM: Isha Ambani
Isha Ambani advocates for increased female participation in STEM and technology careers, highlighting the need to bridge the gender gap and support women in leadership roles for India's technological advancement.
Wanted: Policies that support womens’ advancement in the workplace
In India, women face significant barriers in the workplace, from the burden of unpaid care work to the gender pay gap. Despite anti-harassment policies like the POSH Act, compliance remains a challenge, contributing to the "leaky pipeline" where women exit the workforce.
Why many Indian women are saying no to marriage
Today’s young women know that this patriarchal arrangement will take away their power, forcing them to share responsibility disproportionately and render them financially unequal
Gender diversity still a long way away among CFOs as women still remain underrepresented
Despite gender diversity efforts in India, women are underrepresented in CFO roles. Challenges include bias, retention issues, and supply-side constraints. Companies struggle to retain high-potential women, impacting women's rise to top finance roles.
Pharma, financial services lead in female KMP representation
While female KMPs in the financial services sector were all professional leaders, in pharma, they were promoters, according to data from FY23 collated for ET by executive search firm EMA Partners India.However, Indian companies continue to struggle to have a better gender balance when it comes to KMPs. According to the Companies Act, KMPs are the CEOs or managing directors, chief financial officers, company secretaries and wholetime directors.
Firefighters, deep-sea divers & such: It’s a woman thing
Tata Steel's initiative to hire women firefighters for diversity echoes a broader trend in heavy engineering firms in India. Companies like Hindustan Zinc are increasing women representation in mining operations, aiming for gender diversity.
There are more women in leadership roles now, but challenges & biases still remain
Despite progress, gender diversity challenges persist in corporate India. Initiatives like gender-neutral job descriptions and mixed-gender interview panels aim to reduce bias in hiring processes, supporting women's career advancement and retention.
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