If women don't grab chances, fear will set in, says Vidya Shah

Vidya Shah, CEO, EdelGive Foundation

How difficult was it to rise to the top?

I think it usually is as difficult for women to grow in their careers as it is for men. The only difference is that usually women have to make more trade-offs than men, as the responsibility of child-bearing and child-rearing falls respectively, solely and mostly on women. Decisions on travel and networking then need to be weighed carefully, and women tend to forego these opportunities more often, even though we have far more supportive family structures in India.

Whether for men or women, the role of the spouse in encouraging the other in career progression, bearing the weight of family equally and making compromises where necessary cannot be underestimated. I was fortunate to have both, an incredibly supportive spouse, but also great in-laws and parents, who provided a safety net when needed. Having said that, all the organisations I worked with, whether ICICI, Peregrine, NM Rothschild or Edelweiss, actively supported women in the workforce and believed in providing equal spaces for men and women with merit, to grow.

What are the typical obstacles women managers face?

I read an article by Leah Fessler in the Quartz at Work, that posited that the strongest predictor of men's well-being isn't family or health, but their job satisfaction by a large margin and the strongest predictor of job satisfaction is whether men feel they are making an impact on their companies' success. For many decades, the assumption has been that family and children, in particular, are the most important concern for women. As women rise in their careers, this is what, it would seem, pre-occupies them most. Nevertheless, the barriers to seeing more women in senior positions will come down when women also believe that job satisfaction and the sense of achievement and well-being it brings is important to them. While bad bosses and a lack of a supportive culture for women may be blamed as being obstacles along with familial responsibilities, women will need to see workforce participation and career growth to be important to their own personal growth.

Your advice to young women managers?

I wrote sometime ago that that if women don't grab opportunities, fear will set in, not allowing them to take up new challenges. In the race to maintain a balance between family and work, women often go through self-inflicted guilt. All you need is to be organised (learn planning and we are, any way, very good multi-taskers) and be good friends with your family!