Work in progress: Women on gender equality in 2024

Women look back at the ground their professions have covered, and look forward at the road ahead. Today is Women’s Day

Women in industry are taking big strides, but they still need to overcome invisible barriers, a cross section of working women in Bengaluru said.

To mark Women’s Day, Metrolife asked women from various industries: “How far has your sector come in terms of gender equality?”. Here is what they said.

Learn to tap into government support

Women’s participation in micro-entrepreneurship has risen. The support of the state government is a key reason. They can avail of loans at lower interest. They can buy land for factories at subsidised rates. Visvesvaraya Trade Promotion Centre provides capacity-building training and reimbursement to women travelling for expos, and helps with documentation for exports.

The male ego and a lack of confidence in women’s abilities remain a challenge. I see marital discord and divorce in families where women entrepreneurs outdo their husbands in terms of income and success. Investors look for a male cofounder even if a woman comes forward to raise funds. However, when women go on to prove their talent, men treat them equally at work. 

Rupa Rani, industrialist, and founder, Forum of Women Entrepreneurs (FOWE)

Medical professionals need childcare support

In India, there are very few doctors in genetics and the majority happen to be women. Women don’t face much gender disparity when it comes to foraying into this field and, in my case, it was my male teachers who inspired me.

My biggest challenge was raising two children while trying to work full-time. I had very little family support. This continues to be a challenge for many women in STEM. 

More women would be able to choose and thrive in this career if support in terms of childcare and workplace equality is provided. 

Dr Meenakshi Bhat, clinical geneticist

Better implementation of equality guidelines

I work with companies to hire people at the CXO level and the biggest transition I have seen in the corporate world is women taking things for granted. I don’t say this in a negative way. I think it is a welcome change to see women taking equality for granted. The pillars on which gender equality is moving forward are getting more widespread and better implemented. When women come into the mainstream, things begin to change for the better. And the changes benefit everyone. Is the fight over? No. But we have come a long way.

Priya Chetty Rajagopal, headhunter and activist

No longer embarrassed to talk about periods

I have been a professional tennis player for over 10 years. In the past few years, the number of tournaments for women in India has increased. We also have more women officials, from chair umpires to supervisors and line umpires. Being a woman is never easy and as a sportswoman there are days when you can’t train because you are on your period or you are facing health problems. I was embarrassed to inform my trainer about such problems earlier, but now I have got over it. Nowadays, it is common for trainers to incorporate players’ period cycles into the training schedule. We also have a lot of female trainers these days, which is great.

Sharmada Balu, tennis player

About 200 women are now driving autos

This is my seventh year as an auto driver. When I first started, there were only 36 registered female auto drivers, now there are 200. Not all of them might be working, but it is still a step in the right direction. People have started realising that professions are not gendered. However, we still face hostility from some male drivers. They think we don’t belong. Their defensive behaviour has been a big challenge.

When I think of the people who have inspired me to confidently do my job, I can surely name big names like Kittur Rani Chennamma, but in reality my idols are the women I see fending for their family everyday — the women lorry drivers who take on the highways, or the 60-year-old bus drivers.

K Asharani, auto driver

More women rock climbing

When I started rock climbing in India in 2013, I was added to a WhatsApp group with all the other outdoor climbers in Bengaluru. There were only four women. But that has changed over the years. More women have been climbing as a hobby, so the gender gap is slowly closing. Climbing organisations and groups have been trying to make climbing more accessible to women. There are even women trainers. There has also been growth among women in competitive climbing, but that’s been on a smaller scale. We’re headed in the right direction.

Gowri Varanashi, professional rock climber