Modern Indian Women
Women play a pivotal role in the India society. Though their position remains debatable but it is undeniable that Indian women are indispensable part of the society. According to ancient preaching the mother is the essential part of the family. With time the role of the women in Indian society has undergone huge changes. Professionally qualified, excellent homemakers, economically independent and adept at handling dicey situations, the Indian women have arrived.
The story of the women in this country is one of duality. Despite poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, discrimination and struggle for survival, but there are many of them who are making a mark in the corporate world, in the media, in literature and in the IT sector. Globalization has provided opportunities for the educated, middle class woman to build her own dreams and excel in fields and explore, which were earlier perceived as complete male domains. Though the number is small, Indian women professionals are definitely on the rise and are paving the way for future generations.
Indian women are becoming increasingly visible and successful in the professional and public sphere. Whether it is Barkha Dutt, who has become a idol for several journalists, Arundhati Roy, a Booker Prize Winner and a social activist, or Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, or Chanda Kochhar CMD of ICICI bank , they have all heralded the arrival of Indian women professionals.
Approximately one third of employees at Indian software companies today are women. In fact, NASSCOM puts the figure at 38%, which is a higher figure than their western counterparts. Some of the reasons for this attraction to the IT sector include India's education system.
In the Indian context, in engineering colleges, civil and mechanical engineering were considered male areas as the outdoor activities were considered unsuitable for the Indian middle class girl. The girls went for “softer skills” such as Electronics & Communication and Computer Science and therefore more number of women graduated in these particular disciplines. Other women took up computer courses after they graduated from college in order to acquire extra skills. Once they started they realized the potential in this area and went on to pursue their interest as a full time career. Since the demand for technical professionals continues to be strong in the IT industry, women are not seen as competitors to men as skill and experience are what really matter. Their visibility is not restricted to just India as several of them work abroad with foreign companies who hire them for their skill and expertise.
Another area where Indian women are making their mark is creative writing. The opening of Indian offices by foreign publishers like Penguin and Harper Collins has provided several Indian women authors an opportunity to showcase their experiences to the world. At first, there were simply a handful of writers, but today it is common to be greeted with new names every month at a bookstore. International recognition has come in the form of the Booker Prize for Arundhati Roy, the Onassis International Competition Prize to Manjula Padmanabhan, and the Pulitzer Prize to Jhumpa Lahiri. Themes and settings are usually the everyday world of a middle class family, but now writing often goes beyond the home. Themes revolving around sexuality, abuse, and violence, to name a few, are being written about, The language used is not an artificial and contrived version of British English, but a natural rendition of how it is used in India. Interspersed with local words the language lends authenticity and flavor to the writing.
Globalisation and opening up of the Indian economy, the increased role of the private sector and the increase in the number of multinationals springing up has facilitated a slow but definite rise in the number of women managers and entrepreneurs in the corporate sector. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw's Biocon, a biotech firm is worth over $1.1 billion, with her stake at $449 million. Vidya Mohan Chhabria, chairperson of the $2 billion Jumbo Group, and Naina Lal Kidwai, vice chairperson and managing director of HSBC Securities and Capital markets, are the two Indian women to feature on the list of the 50 most powerful women in international business by Fortune magazine. There are several others like Sulaijja Firodia Motwani and Mallika Srinivasan who figure prominently in the automotive industry while there are many other women who are successfully managing family run businesses.
Still the number of women at the top are few mainly because of the parallel profession of the home where several women are often not willing to take on more or compromise on their careers. Indian multi nationals still have to design women friendly schemes that account for working mothers and institutional support such as the availability of quality childcare. However, the emergence of India 's service sector – travel, tourism, hospitality, media, and entertainment as well as IT and ITES is witnessing an increased role for female employees at the entry and middle levels. They will hopefully pave the way for future female professionals.
Women are becoming increasingly visible in the domestic and international sphere in media, entertainment, business, IT, politics and literature. Whether it is Kali for Women, a women specific publishing house or the Electrolux – FE Awards for businesswomen, there is increasing recognition of female achievers and the emergence of powerful Indian women.
Sapna Agrawal
