New Delhi: Indian girls have emerged as more ambitious with a desire to attain top level positions than their counterparts in the US, reflecting a shift in the social status of women in the country, a latest report revealed.
"The widespread nature of aspiration among Indian women is extraordinary with a whopping 80 per cent of them ready to go extra-mile to achieve their ambition compared to 52 per cent in the US," it said.
The report titled 'The Battle of Female Talent in India' is prepared by a non-profit think tank Center for Work-Life Policy.
Interestingly, the report noted that less than 30 per cent of women in India work and only 10 per cent between the ages of 18-23 are enrolled in higher education.
Still in 2009, women back home represented 11 per cent of CEOs, almost 4 times the 3 per cent figure for women in U.S and U.K as contained in the Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies respectively.
"The impressive levels of aspiration amongst Indian women have been fuelled by the country's rapid economic growth that has brought about a shift in the social status of women," the report said.
However, growth in the number of working Indian women is still muted due to the major barriers like childcare issues, workplace gender bias, safety concerns, travelling time and extreme working hours, it added.
About 70 per cent of Indian women find it tough to cope with the responsibility of taking care of the kids , parents and other elder members, while 45 per cent of Indian women believe that unfair treatment at workplace is a major hurdle.
Safety concerns affect 52 per cent of women in India commuting to their jobs while 73 per cent experience societal disapproval of travelling alone for job purposes.
DeAnne Aguirre of Booz & Company (USA) said winning the war for female talent in India requires commitment.
Aguirre suggested that the companies must strive to become a magnet for smart women through an intellectually challenging, growth-oriented, equitable, and supportive workplace.
Besides, female ambition should be sustained through the cultural tug-of-war by promoting networks that help build ties among them and provide the organisational know-how to succeed, Aguirre added.
Aguirre insists that the females should be provided with the flexibility to deal with family-related pulls and work-related pushes through creative solutions based on local knowledge.
Keeping the above things in mind, some corporates like Google, Goldman Sachs, Infosys, ICICI Bank, GE, Tata, Ernst & Young, HSBC, and Pfizer are creating processes and practices that would enable Indian women to compete and flourish at their full potential.
Source: Agencies
1 comments:
Deanne comments about conditions in India - has anyone asked her whether she has ever visited India?
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