Success, six-month maternity-leave, quotas, intuition and more were part of Skirting the Issue, a thought-provoking panel discussion at Tata Lit Live 2014
Do women create a work enviroment that is more collaborative than competitive? This was the matter up for discussion by a panel comprising Karine Bates, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; Usha Sangwan, Managing Director, Life Insurance Corporation; and Rama Bijapurkar independent management consultant and ably chaired by R Gopalakrishnan, Director of Tata Sons. Here are the few thoughts we walked away with.
Women know when to be collaborative or competitive: The women on the panel appeared to agree that most women can easily switch between being collaborative or competitive behaviour based on the 'context' in question. Moreover, they tend to intuitively know what approach will work best in a particular context.
Intuition is learned: “Intuition is not something you are born with,” points out Karine Bates. It is learned by experience and through the environment that one is exposed to. Consequently, intuition is by no means gender specific, and men can prove to be as intuitive as women.
Why not 6-month maternity leave? Usha Sangwan noted that all scientific evidence indicates that it is essential for new mothers to be with their babies and breast feed for a minumum of 6 months after birth, yet corporate life makes no provision for 6-month maternity leave. Isn't it time for our systems to be more supportive?
On quotas for women: In a world that has far less female role models than it needs, Rama Bijapurkar suggests you can't afford to feel guilty about rising to a position courtesy the quota system or fall into the trap of questioning your merit. What matters is that you prove yourself worthy. This paves the way for the women that follow.
Definitions of Success—East versus West: While success according to the principles of Western philosophy and Maslow's hierarchy means self-actualization, to the people of the East success lies in self-realistion. But as Usha Sangwan points out, “you can't have self-actualisation unless you first have self-realisation”
50/50: If women make up 50 per cent of the general population, they ought to make up 50 per cent of the working population, appeared to be the panel's consensus. Oddly, no one mentioned the women who would rather raise their own kids than leave it to a maid or a creche or some other woman. Unpaid work doesn't count, or so it seems.
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