![women-gender pay gap_iStock](https://img.etimg.com/thumb/msid-90081647,width-650,height-488,imgsize-152598,resizemode-75/women-gender-pay-gap_istock.jpg)
The Covid pandemic forced working women with the double burden of balancing their career and managing her household, not to mention handling children too in several cases. Such women are a great example of capabilities and strength in action. Yet, they are constantly put under scrutiny, especially by people who have not been in their shoes.
From their leadership to their capabilities, women professionals are judged. If that isn’t enough, they also face gender inequality and gender-pay disparity. According to a Payscale report, women made only 82 cents for every dollar a man made in 2021, which was one cent more than the women made in 2020.
Mamta Sharma, Senior Vice-President-HR at Fiserv Global Services, says that the gender-pay gap could be a result of a decision women make for their families. In early career levels, women enter the workforce in large numbers, but their ratio funnels down as they are more likely than their male counterparts to take extended time away from building their careers.
"As women take time away from work for motherhood or other personal commitments, the gap in experience and familiarity with current technologies decelerates their career growth and compensation levels," she says.
![Mamta Sharma urges women to take the lead in some areas. Mamta Sharma urges women to take the lead in some areas.](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Gender disparity is a result of historic systemic bias against women, says Madhu Malhotra, Chief Technology Officer at Edelweiss General Insurance. Women are commonly associated with professions that involve caregiving and require higher emotional quotient, such as teaching, nursing, administrative work and healthcare. "While these work areas employ a high number of women, these profiles have lower salaries with fewer opportunities for growth," she explains.
This situation continues to remain though women have been described as “natural leaders” Samir Modi, Managing Director of Modicare Enterprises, says women bosses exude positivity and can handle immense responsibilities with great finesse. "They also bring in natural leadership attributes such as empathy and display higher emotional quotient, which are absolutely necessary in navigating through the complex business environments that we operate in."
Modi says that one must practise equality at home to achieve it at the workplace.
![Samir Modi urges men to play a crucial role in promoting gender equality at work. Samir Modi urges men to play a crucial role in promoting gender equality at work.](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Women are fighting their battles alone and “fighting alone is like trying to fill an empty leaking bucket with a spoon,” says Modi.
He urges men to play a crucial role in promoting gender equality at work. With the support of compassionate and sensitised men, workplaces across the world can achieve true gender equality. "From calling out casual sexism at work to challenging baseless stereotypes to supporting women’s issues, men can show their solidarity in a number of ways."
Organisations have to play a big role too, especially in removing any misunderstandings male employees might have about women colleagues.
The founder of LXME, a financial platform for women, Priti Rathi Gupta, says the misconceptions about women employees should be directed at the source of the opposition. She suggests that companies introduce inclusion initiatives such as upskilling women workforce with required knowledge and tools, and shifting focus to the most overlooked areas, like putting women in senior roles.
![Priti Rathi Gupta Priti Rathi Gupta](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Most women bosses say change has to begin from within.
"Be the change you want to see in the world," says Jyotsna Uttamchandani, Executive Director of Syska Group, quoting Mahatma Gandhi.
Such a change in a male-dominated society cannot be an overnight process. However, the journey begins when a person decides to make the change from within. Learn, be aware, speak up and don't conform to the usual stereotypes. "You might feel that you are alone and can let such things slide, but there are several women around you waiting to get a nudge. Be that nudge," says Uttamchandani.
Sharma urges women to take the lead in some areas. Break down the biases in the workplace and invest in self-development. For women who want to sustain a career in tech, continuous skill enhancement is paramount, and commitment to development and investment in growth is integral.
"It is imperative for each woman in the workforce today to make their success their priority, and leverage every opportunity to skill up, find mentors and network with key players in the industry to learn and chart their career trajectory," she says.
![According to Jyotsna Uttamchandani, a major issue is poor representation of women. According to Jyotsna Uttamchandani, a major issue is poor representation of women.](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Women professionals work twice as hard to prove themselves when compared with men, says Malhotra. But, it is also important for women to see themselves as a leader first and create their own brand.
Making a point or asking a question at least once in every meeting can make a big difference. "Certain steps like negotiating for salary hikes and promotions, not apologising for things you have no control over, learning to say no gracefully, taking more risks, and fostering an air of equality at every level will go a long way in breaking the perceptions in people's minds," Malhotra says.
Power Of Money
For years, women have been known to manage their homes and household expenses with tact. But they take a back seat when it comes to decisions relating to money, investments or savings.
Rathi Gupta, who founded her financial planning platform for women in 2018, says the secret lies in taking bold investment decisions. Saving is good, but gaining the knowledge to multiply those savings is what brings financial freedom. Malhotra also stresses on the importance of investing the savings to reap greater benefits.
The technical boss of Edelweiss General Insurance advises people to invest in long-term plans such as systematic investment plans, mutual funds, fixed deposits and public provident fund for wealth creation. Be insured for health and life, and build an emergency fund to take care of emergencies for better financial freedom, she says.
![Madhu Malhotra Madhu Malhotra](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Financial literacy, Sharma says, is key to true empowerment as it is an essential step toward financial independence. However, financial literacy is not the responsibility of women alone. It is a collective effort. Organisations, allies, mentors, public institutions and women should work together to achieve this goal.
"Furthermore, the internal and external ecosystem can provide learning and professional opportunities. It is the responsibility of women to cultivate a mindset of learning and leverage opportunities of growth," she says.
One concept Big Boy Toyz Chief Operating Officers and Marketing Head Ritika Jatin Ahuja shares is investing in oneself. Women must always adapt and acquire new skills, and never stop learning if they want to stand out.
![ Ritika Jatin Ahuja bats for investing in oneself. Ritika Jatin Ahuja bats for investing in oneself.](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Finding A Fix
Issues that plague the modern woman in a workplace are unfortunately pretty much the same elsewhere in society.
From causal sexism to something as serious as sexual harassment, women go through a number of issues.
According to Uttamchandani, poor representation of women in the workplace is a major issue. Once that is fixed, women will have come a long way in fixing other issues. "The lack of women professionals, from entry-level jobs to senior executive roles, is where the problem begins. The first step would be to drive inclusion and equality consciously by organisations," she says.
Gender bias at the workplace also makes many women change jobs, claims Rathi Gupta. The issue can only be fixed if there is change at the very core of the organisation. "Whether this means looking for specific qualities during hiring, proactively encouraging inclusivity through team diversity or something as simple as better pay and leaves structure, it will have a ripple effect in every other department," she adds.
Modi points out that there should be effective systems in place to ensure women can fearlessly voice their concerns, and not be shamed for raising an issue.
If managers and organisations carefully listen to women colleagues, it can help them feel more included, says Malhotra. "Silence makes the organisation complicit," she adds.
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