8/6/2019 The Changing Balance of Women Empowerment
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of many of these enterprises, women have achieved economic
independence and risen above theshackles of a caste- and
male-dominated traditional society. This entrepreneurial role has
given
women in India an opportunity to enter the social and political
spheres in ways previously deniedto them.
The biggest challenge faced by women managers today is managing
their dual role oforganizational managers and housewives. Women
experience tremendous stress caused byeither work overload or under
load. Womens overload comes from the pressure to work harder
to prove them. While Indian men do not mind having women as
subordinates, they do not likethem as bosses. Dissatisfaction from
subordinates is a source of stress for women managers,
which they see as a challenge to be confronted. One of the
prominent obstacles that most womenmanagers face is the
differential treatment at work which upholds the centrality and
superiority
of men and treats women as inferior and less important. Due to
this stereotype, women areoffered less challenging jobs and are
often not involved in tackling crucial organizational issues.
But in spite of such challenges women today has came out strong
and has learned the art oftackling such issues quite efficiently.
Nevertheless, developments in information technology and
related services sectors are helping women in India to move out
of their traditional householdroles and develop a career in
organizations.
The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian
Constitution in its Preamble,
Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles.
Provision has been made for
the right to take affirmative action by the state for women and
children in certain matters. TheEqual Remuneration Act 1976
provides for equal wages for the same work or work of similar
nature for men and women workers, and prohibits discrimination
against women in matters ofrecruitment. The Maternity Benefits Act
1961 and the Employees State Insurance Act 1948
provide for payment of maternity benefits. The Factories Act
1948 provides for restriction ofhours of work (women cannot be
asked to work between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.) and special safety
protection for women. Overall, some of these provisions severely
restrict the employment ofwomen in the management of factories and
production facilities. These laws apply to nearly all-
operative, support and managerial staff unlike some of the other
employment laws which excludemanagerial employees. The Sexual
Harassment of Women Act 1992 provides measures to
prevent women from being subjected to harassment. Through
proactive intervention, the IndianSupreme Court in one of its
significant judgments has laid down comprehensive guidelines to
be
followed by all public and private sector organizations to
ensure the prevention of sexualharassment. All these laws have
blessed the women workforce and have certainly added a great
deal of legislative power.
Technology and flexi-time have made things easier for women at
work and they should makefull use of them, simultaneously fighting
for equality at political and societal levels. The
individuals leading both Pepsi (Indra Nooyi) and ICICI (Chanda
Kochhar) in India are womenand both companies are very successful;
these could be examples to build on. This speaks of a
resilient Indian society, and these features could be indicative
of a promising future for positivechange that can be brought about
in the position of women including fighting the old
stereotypes.
The women in India are leaving home to venture out in search of
work both for reasons ofeconomic necessity and to fulfill
ambitions. Those in the former category are from the middle
and lower socio-economic strata of society, career development
is more a pursuit by those from
