As you are enter the conference hall, you might get the idea that it is just another event. But after opening the doors and entering, you will notice the enthusiastic crowd inside talking cheerfully, discussing issues, standing up to make a point, giving opinions... The other striking difference is that the room is very colourful, with the colours ranging from shades of pink, blue, purple, to dark blue, grey and brown coats. This is exactly like the outlook of today’s IT women — confident and all ready to charge right ahead, be it in her career or handling household chores.

Seeing the room full of cheerful women and one or two odd men here and there, Kiran Karnik, NASSCOM, President commented, "It seems, we have not made the point of the conference very clear. It is a conference about women and not for women," he said while speaking at the NASSCOM IT Women Leadership Summit 2007 held in Bangalore recently.  

The IT-ITeS sector is expected to see a trend of more and more educated young women — including housewives — joining the industry. The percentage of women will grow from 30 per cent to 45 per cent by 2010, predicts a study by NASSCOM. 

In light of this huge diverse talent pool, it becomes imperative for organisations to understand the issues and problems faced by women. The two conferences in Bangalore saw many issues come to the forefront; women do not communicate enough, they cannot travel regularly, personal issues are more important than careers, need to attend more networking events, need for mentoring by senior level women etc.

"The issue of men and women — gender bias does not exist. It all depends on competence," says Vinita Bali , Managing Director, Britannia Industries Ltd. But yes, to move ahead, you need a supportive environment and role models, she says.

Gender divide
To this adds, Bobby Mitra, Managing Director of Texas Instruments India, "Gender divide does not exist except in numbers. I have seen women in IT file about 25 patents in three years and some of them are industry standards now. They are as capable as men."

 Making a point, Jerry Rao, Chairman, Mphasis says, "In many cases organisations do tend to be anti-women, but it is for the women to communicate and make changes."

For instance he adds, "During video conference calls, many less intelligent men speak and assert themselves. But I do not see many intelligent women having the courage to get up and make a presentation or voice their opinion."

On a different note, Teresa Copping, Chief Executive Officer, Aviva Global Services opines, "We have 40 per cent women in our organisation. But when you move to senior levels, the number diminishes. The Indian economy is growing at a pace where it will run out of leaders. For this, the vast talent pool of women needs to be trained to handle higher responsibilities and it is important that the managements facilitate a growth environment."

NASSCOM, along with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, is conducting a survey on the best practices and attitudes towards women in IT organisations. Some of the findings of the survey state that women are still plagued with self-doubt, family and personal issues coming in way of career advancement, lack of networking, management skills and inability to create a work-life balance.

Citing her own example, Leena Chandran-Wadia, Chief Technology Officer, Netcore explains, "I had to give up my PhD to take care of my child. I thoroughly enjoyed being a mother and coming back to the corporate world was like a horror show." Technology had taken such a transition that it was difficult to convince people that I had the capability to catch-up, she informs.

Asha Kaul, Gender Resource Centre, IIM Ahmedabad recommends, "To grow in one’s career you need to plan and develop strategies. Also one should quit the need to be a super woman or a super mom and ask for help when needed."

One of the outcomes of the ongoing study by NASSCOM-I1M A is that 43 per cent women BPO employees agreed that their male colleagues were not gender sensitive. To handle this issue, it is the job of the organisation to develop a proper HR function, frame women-friendly policies, have a crèche system, flexible working hours et al.
Rekha Jain, from IIM A, Gender Resource Centre says, "For organisations to put all this in place and get results is not an overnight journey. But, what can be measured can be worked upon."

On the whole it is an individual effort for every woman to take the best path in deciding a career move or assert herself or seek the support of family members etc. Organisations do have supportive policies but it for the women to communicate and make their issues clear to the top management. And in the end it all boils down to one and only thing, "It is about the choice you make."