Gender-related barriers and bias may have declined over the years, but gender stereotypes continue to create roadblocks as working women navigate their path to success. They shape managerial behaviour and workplace outlooks, and negatively impact the availability of opportunities for women.
A discussion on stereotypes and women breaking the mould was one of the highlights of YourStory’s SheSparks 2023, organised at India Habitat Centre, Delhi. The session brought together Amritagandha Dutta, Founder and CEO, Expand AI; Shirley D’Costa, CBO, Kulfi Collective; Aakriti Vohra, Global Network Delegate, LaLiga; and Saniya Jeswani, Co-founder and CEO, Perkant Tech; for an intense panel discussion on what women in business have to face every day.
Amritagandha Datta, Founder and CEO, Expand AI, kicked off the session with an interesting insight into her experience with networking events.
“The one thing that I’ve noticed when I meet founders or CEOs is that if you outwit them with facts, most of them will leave any bias or prejudice aside and focus on what you have to offer and the value you bring to the table. If you’re dealing with the rest, people who still focus on the fact that you’re a woman, regardless of the facts you know, that’s when you need to be a changemaker. That’s when you need to step back and reflect,” she adds.
Representation at the table is important to get a voice and share facts and opinions. This is where diversity plays a crucial role.
Diversity and inclusion are two interconnected concepts, but they are far from interchangeable. However, many businesses still do not have a healthy balance of people from different backgrounds working for them.
D’Costa walked us through what Kulfi Collective has been able to achieve over the last few years. As part of its efforts to foster a more diverse and inclusive culture, the content network implemented an enhanced gender-neutral and empathetic parental leave policy.
“We have a 50-50 gender-balanced core team. It wasn’t like this when I started off. So, this is very important to me. When I started off in the industry, in an office of 800 people, there were two women above the age of 30. One was a VP, the other was a director, and both were on their way out,” she recalled.
She added that the fact that there weren’t enough women who one could look up to and aspire to be in eight to 10 years while seeing only men in management rooms was ‘unnerving’. “That’s been a key driver for enforcing the fact that we need to have more women in leadership,” D’Costa said.
Women’s leadership in sports
Sports in India has never been without stereotypes and bias. But, there’s a two-pronged problem in the Indian sports industry, Vohra said.
She said she used to always be the only girl in a room full of men and would initially get overwhelmed. She recalled that the first season of FC Pune city proved to be a turning point.
“There was a contingent of 60 people; I was the only girl. I told myself if I let this get to me, how’s it going to work for me? I came to terms with the fact that they’re just my colleagues. And I was one of them. Then there was this sense of empowerment,” Vohra said.
Neuroplasticity, or using affirmations to harness positive thinking, has helped many women in leadership. Dutta and Jeswani agreed on this. But, there’s a catch. When there are obstacles to a major aspect like funding, what exactly can women do?
The funding bottleneck
It is no secret that women entrepreneurs have a tough time raising funds. There are stories of women entrepreneurs getting a male co-founder on board to make the funding process easier.
Jeswani, of Perkant Tech, faced the same difficulties while raising capital, which is surprising in a country where healthtech needs to be prioritised.
“Women still find it harder. But, it’s a journey. I’d also like to change the narrative and focus more on where we have reached, where we are, and where we need to go,” she said.
She added that if a woman wanted to fund her startup in the healthtech space 10 years back, she would’ve not been taken seriously. “Things are different today and we are a testament to that. We still have a long way to go and conversations like this are part of the solution,” Jeswani said.
Dealing with unconscious bias
Another dangerous stereotype is one where the educated assume that the uneducated are prone to stereotyping. But, stereotyping by the educated poses a significant problem as it’s often unconscious – and camouflaged.
Many organisations claim to understand unconscious bias and workplace stereotypes. The truth is that unconscious bias and stereotypes are part of the conditioning that affects decision-making in all spheres of life.
In recent years, companies, big and small, have come forward and expressed their allegiance towards gender equity and equality in workplaces. SheSparks 2023 set the stage for conversations that addressed the elephant in the room – to figure out the way ahead.
