Wednesday, February 8, 2023
  • SIGN IN
SUBSCRIBE
Pravasi Indians Magazine
  • Home
  • Books
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • Spaces
  • Interviews
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Books
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • Spaces
  • Interviews
No Result
View All Result
Pravasi Indians Magazine
SUBSCRIBE
  • SIGN IN
Home Society

WOMEN, WOKE & THE WORKPLACE

WOMEN, WOKE & THE WORKPLACE

Workplaces are now going woke and expectedly, a lot of it is in contention

The thing about being of not-so-Gen-Z age in this age of Gen Z is that every day is an opportunity to learn something new. Whether you’re scrolling through Twitter or talking to someone IRL (in real life, for the less informed), you’re constantly being barraged with new information, ideas and ideologies. While it can be a bit infuriating at times, I like to look at the brighter side—I get to make a column from it!

A couple of weeks ago, on a raindrenched weekend in Delhi, I found myself at an intimate dinner party hosted by one of the city’s most dynamic young female entrepreneurs. Celebrating her PR firm’s fifth anniversary, Alankrita Khanna (name changed) was basking both in success and her Sabyasachi ensemble as she proudly listed the newest HR policies of her company, one of them being period leaves for female employees.

“What the hell is period leave?” Ayush Verma (name changed), one of the city’s top new architects, had asked this question more from a place of bewilderment than condescension but it was enough of a trigger for Alankrita to launch into a tirade.

“Menstruating women experience a lot of pain, making it extremely difficult to even get out of bed, let alone come to work. They more than deserve taking a period leave or two every month. If only men understood how difficult it is being a woman!”

Ayush was stunned into silence. So were the rest of the men at the party. It’s a particularly challenging time for cisheterosexual men everywhere. Wokedom has officially entered the workplace—bow down or bow out!

“I’m so glad women are fighting for their rights at the workplace—it was a long time coming!” Deepti Sharma (name changed), a legal consultant in Mumbai, is one of the fiercest young female rights activists in the country and never ceases to amaze me with her passion for the causes she believes in. “For far too long, women have worked in abysmal conditions, sacrificing their wellbeing just to make an honest living, without even getting paid enough. Not anymore!”

From time immemorial, or since the time women stepped out of domesticity and embraced their own dreams and ambitions, the gender dynamics at the workplace have been completely skewed in favour of the not-so-fair sex. From unequal pay to ‘women are too emotional for top management roles’ and many similar clichés, the list is endless. It’s anyway hard for a woman to break away from societal norms and get to work; that she has to face a zillion other problems while at the workplace is perhaps why the statistics
around participation of women at work aren’t too bright. From 36 percent in 2021—a number that wasn’t great to begin with—to 33 percent in 2022, the picture is only getting grimmer.

“Organisations have to wake up and smell the coffee—women need and deserve the same treatment as men at the workplace. Otherwise, the statistics just won’t improve!” Rakhi Bishnoi (name changed), entrepreneur and social media consultant for many bigwigs, has long been advocating for woke-er workplaces. “Increasing maternity leave from three to six months is just the first step, and setting up the Internal Complaints Committee as per the POSH guidelines is the second. But there are many other steps that need to be taken pronto!” What are those steps? In the words of Sarika Sharma (name changed), up-and-coming PR honcho in Mumbai, “Equal pay is paramount. So are equal opportunities across levels. Our gender can’t come in the way of being hired or promoted.”

As organisations go woke rather rapidly, are men and women finally on the same page?

“I’m all for women’s empowerment and equality but at the risk of getting cancelled, it’s not a level playing field. If women want equal pay, they should be willing to put in an equal number of hours, right?

You can’t get period leave every month when there’s no equivalent for men!” As a hot-and-happening entrepreneur from Mumbai, Karan Khanna (name changed) makes it to those 30-under-30 lists rather frequently. Naturally, then, you can trust him to know what men his age are feeling. “Feminism isn’t about being biased towards women, right?” Has the changing conversation around women at the workplace altered the way potential employers are looking at candidates? Naman Bhardwaj (name changed) runs a much talked about newage media brand in Delhi. According to him, it all boils down to return on investment. “When I’m hiring someone, I have to take into account their availability, right? A man when hired is not going to ask for period leave, won’t mind working late and won’t ask for a six-month maternity break. Hiring him makes a lot more sense, purely from a business point of view.”

Even though the glass ceiling for women now appears reachable, there’s no denying it continues to loom large. Till the time when women kept quiet about their struggles, things were hunky-dory. But in the post-#MeToo world, now that they aren’t shying away from speaking out, it’s only made things harder for them. Yes, harder, not easier. Not only are organisations and the men leading them more careful, they’re also more hesitant. “I don’t think I get what women want. Do we treat them as gentle beings and allow them a day off for menstruation or consider them on a par with men and treat them the same?” Ashok Mehta (name changed), HR head at a popular PR agency in Delhi, isn’t entirely sure about the growing wokeness of workplaces. “I can’t remember my mother ever asking for a day off because she had her period. What’s changed for women now?”

What has changed is the way women view themselves and the world around them. They’re no longer shy about camouflaging their conflicts or putting aside their problems. They’re being vocal now and asking to be heard, demanding solutions.

Is that too woke for you? Well, how about keeping quiet? Women have done it for ages, after all!

Who Am I?

Think of me as someone who knows the minds, hearts and bedrooms of the young Indian today. I have a social life across cities that allows me access to coveted parties, people and positions (pun absolutely intended!). Through this column, I aim to keep you abreast of how the young people of India go about their personal lives. I promise to keep it honest and to-the-point. No judgements, no prudishness.

Tags: #expatindians#flavours#india#IndianDiaspora#indianeconomy#indiansabroad#news#NRI#pravasindians#women#worldnews
ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

NEW YEAR NEW SHENANIGANS!
Society

NEW YEAR NEW SHENANIGANS!

January 25, 2023
WHY ISN’T ANYBODY HAVING FUN?
Society

WHY ISN’T ANYBODY HAVING FUN?

December 30, 2022
WOMEN, WOKE & THE WORKPLACE
Society

WOMEN, WOKE & THE WORKPLACE

November 28, 2022
MEN IN THE TIME OF FEMINISM
Society

MEN IN THE TIME OF FEMINISM

October 19, 2022
DESPERATELY SEEKING FREEDOM
Perspective

DESPERATELY SEEKING FREEDOM

September 2, 2022
Mixing Fitness with Pleasure
Society

Mixing Fitness with Pleasure

July 1, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • “Komagata Maru Way” to be designated as a portion of Canadian roadway
  • Four Indian-American Lawmakers appointed
  • History of Indian Diaspora in USA
  • Government of India Celebrates 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas at Indore
  • Famous Indian Diasporas in Australia

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • February 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020

Categories

  • Arts & Culture
  • Books
  • Business & Economy
  • Cover Story
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • E-magazine
  • Economy
  • Environment
  • Food and Travel
  • Guest Article
  • Heritage
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Mixed Bag
  • Musings
  • Perspective
  • Philanthropy
  • Publisher's Note
  • Society
  • Soul Connections
  • Spaces
  • Special Feature
  • Spotlight
  • Travel
  • Trending Now
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • World
  • Young and Restless
Remember Me
Register
Lost your password?
Pravasi Indians Magazine

Pravasi Indians has become the voice of millions of overseas Indians spread across diverse regions of the world. A joint venture of M/s Template Media and GRC India, this magazine is the first publication exclusively dealing with a wide gamut of issues that matter to the members of Indian diaspora.

Contact Us

M/s Template Media LLP
(Publisher of PRAVASI INDIANS),
Rudraksha Apartment (Top Floor),
Opposite Ambience Tower,
Kishangarh, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi-110 070
www.pravasindians.com

Connect with us at:

Mobile: +91 89209 54252
Email: info@pravasindians.com

Categories

  • Arts & Culture
  • Books
  • Business & Economy
  • Cover Story
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • E-magazine
  • Economy
  • Environment
  • Food and Travel
  • Guest Article
  • Heritage
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Mixed Bag
  • Musings
  • Perspective
  • Philanthropy
  • Publisher's Note
  • Society
  • Soul Connections
  • Spaces
  • Special Feature
  • Spotlight
  • Travel
  • Trending Now
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • World
  • Young and Restless

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Archives
  • Our Team
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Us

Copyright @ Template Media LLP. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Books
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • Spaces
  • Interviews

Copyright @ Template Media LLP. All Rights Reserved.