GMA - WOMEN MANAGERS CLUB

Gurgaon Management Association ® [GMA] - constituted by management fraternity and affiliated to the All India Management Association (AIMA), is devoted to enhancing managerial excellence and effectiveness. GMA provides whole range of management services and development activities directed towards enhancing role of managers, professional, personal and managerial skills through holding of regular deliberations, workshops/seminars and conducting training programmes. Over the period GMA has felt the need for greater participation of women managers but lesser representation in the forums and lack of equal playing field. Thus the need to create a separate and dinstincitive chapter was realized. The Board shall consider the proposal and devise methodology and draw action plan for its activities.

WOMEN MANAGERS CLUB.

IN THE West, women make up 10-20% of upper management and company boards, whereas in India they are about 3 % at Board level and about 6 % at executive level.
In India, only about one woman in three has a formal job, though millions sweat on farms and in family businesses. Education is unequal, only 10-15% of students entering the elite Indian Institutes of Management are female.

 

Within the past few years, the number of women holding powerful positions increasingly, even in some industries and organizations which are mainly male-dominated. In addition, high percentage of women who are attending in the workplace or starting their own business have proved that they can do well what men can do in management roles. However, there still is a glass ceiling that women cannot break.
There are three main barriers that women face to becoming leaders viz.
  • The double burden of work and domestic responsibilities;
  • The requirement in many senior jobs to be always available and free to travel;
  • Women’s reluctance to blow their own trumpet; and
  • The scarcity of female role models.
  • An additional hurdle is the lack of public services to support families, such as child care.
Women Managers are different in their management style from their male colleagues and in building strength for being better managers in the following three major ways.
  • Social Intuition:  Women have a natural tendency to both pay attention to work but also observe the reactions of those around them and create a more bonded team.
  • Empathy: If you want to have a healthy culture, you have to listen. And that doesn’t always mean that you have to indicate agreement or let someone throw it on, but you have to have an open door policy that engenders the creative environment that businesses need to thrive.  Women Managers have natural in this trait. .
  • Building Consensus: The role of women managers in the industry has evolved since 90s and   there are more and more women in senior positions over time, which which actively participate in consensus building and team work.

Objectives

  • Enable to realize the capacity and potential
  • Skill development
  • Enhance leadership qualities
  • Encourage job satisfaction and restrain discrimination
  • Build up strengths
  • Enhance social strength against harassment.

Challenges faced by Women at Work place

Opportunities of Growth

Background Factors

  • Mindset of male dominance in Indian society.
  • Education & Social issues
  • Lack of trust in ability to undertake all tasks.
  • Growth of traditional corporate over the last 50 years has been in the industrial/manufacturing segment by and large.
  • Similar mindset in Govt/public sectors too despite us having the 1st women PM a few decades ago.!

What is the Problem

  • No clear defined policy on “ Equal Opportunity” by organizations.
  • Presence in MNCs and financial services. Opening of other sectors -
  • Problem acute in Manufacturing, automotive, Heavy industries etc where women despite being equally qualified do not find position & employment.
  • How we view the place of women in our society. Selective respect and share the same platform.

Issues faced at Work Place

Factories & Industrial work places

  • Unionization and large blue collar work force – IR issues and hence considered unsafe.
  • Work environment does not even offer basic infrastructure.

Corporate Offices

  • Lack of uniform assessment criteria & promotional policies.
  • Quite often growth opportunities are not advertised. Hence no platform for women to compete.
  • Stereo typing of roles eg: Good for research, desk roles etc..
  • Lack of risk taking by companies…do not want to give women a chance for fear of failure( Boss to blame)

What is changing :
Silver lining

  • Women pushing the parameters.
  • MNCs leading the charge.
  • More & more women making intention of working and making a career

What is required :
Some Suggestions

  • HR policies : make it mandatory certain % of positions to be filled by women…not reservation but through competition and equal opportunity.
  • Increase fresh intake of women.

Long Term

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  • Society thought process will change with education at school level about women rights & respect.
  • Perhaps higher level of co education institutions will help.

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