India Inc needs more male feminists

“Because it’s 2015” — that was the pithy response of Justin Trudeau, Canada’s new prime minister, when asked why he picked a cabinet in which half the members were female. To Trudeau it seemed obvious that, in this day and age, an organisation should have a diverse team.

Sadly, corporate India is stuck in a time warp. A recent study found that women make up only a quarter of the workforce, with the participation rate steadily dropping as one moves up the management ranks. Only 10 per cent of senior positions are occupied by women. These numbers place India at the bottom of the table, when compared with other countries.

And it’s not just skewed gender ratios. The Indian workplace isn’t designed with women in mind. Few employers offer daycare facilities, extended maternity or even flexible working options for young mothers. As a result, most women struggle to continue with a career while raising a family. Almost 50 per cent of women leave the workforce between junior and mid levels. The result is a lack of good women candidates at senior management. 

If that wasn’t difficult enough, some women face a hostile work environment. Last year two-thirds of companies in the Nifty, an index of Indian blue chips, reported cases of sexual harassment. Wipro, one of the largest IT employers, topped the list with well over 100 cases. Given these factors, it’s hardly surprising that the participation rate of women in corporate India is so low.

Diversity matters for businesses. Research indicates that gender diverse organisations are 15 per cent more likely to have financial returns above their industry average. An inclusive workforce also improves employees’ perception of the company and makes them stay longer. The net result is increased productivity, creativity and collaboration. In fact, a recent McKinsey study concluded that raising India’s female labour participation rate could boost the country’s GDP growth by an additional 1.4 per cent.

The knee-jerk reaction is to regulate our way to diversity. For instance, the Indian authorities recently mandated that all listed companies must have at least one woman director on its board. But with a leaky pipeline of working women at junior and middle management, there are few qualified women who can fill these positions.

Many companies have taken the easy route by appointing wives, daughters or other female relatives to the board, thus defeating the purpose of the law. Even if a company appoints a competent woman on its board, it doesn’t address the fundamental problem of poor participation rate.

Some companies in their quest for greater diversity, encourage networks that are exclusively for their women employees. The presence of such women-only networks gives female employees a forum to share and collaborate. 

This is well intentioned but flawed. By limiting the network to only women, companies miss an opportunity to engage male employees in the conversation. The presence of such groups can also create resentment among male colleagues who dismiss it as “women appeasement”.

Regulation or special interest groups can’t change a company’s culture. This change must come from within. And the change must be embraced by all employees, not just a fraction.  Since men are the overwhelming majority in the Indian workplace, until our male colleagues practice gender equality, progress will be marginal. 

Making a meaningful dent in the diversity ratio requires men who believe that working women don’t need any special treatment. It requires men who share the burden equally at home. It requires men who are not afraid of speaking up on women’s issues. In short, it needs male feminists.

The term ‘feminist’ is frequently a pejorative for aggressive women, but at its simplest, it defines someone who believes in equal rights for women.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg announcing that he’ll be taking two months’ paternity leave was a bold statement coming from the CEO of one of the world’s largest companies. It underscored the point that raising a child isn’t a woman's job alone and men need to participate equally at home, so women can participate equally at work. Taking a cue from the CEO, the company has now extended paternity leave for all employees to four months. 

This story makes you wonder how long it will be before we see an Indian CEO do something similar? For that matter, how often do we hear of Indian men taking paternity leave?  While there are rules on mandated maternity leave, few companies offer extended time off to new fathers. It’s not atypical to see men back at work a few days after having a child. Imagine the reaction if a woman returned to work a few weeks after delivery. She’d likely be panned as ambitious and selfish; men never have to face such judgments.

PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi has shared a story of how her mother asked her to get milk the night she was appointed CEO of the company. The implication was that while she may be the CEO of a multinational business, at home she was a mother and a wife.  Until we get away from the notion of ‘man’s job’ and ‘woman’s place’, future Indra Nooyis will continue to be pulled down by archaic expectations of womanhood. 

The writer works with companies to implement practical diversity programmes

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