On the occasion of Women’s Day, we decided to steer clear of the rampant tokenism and marketing schemes that are often employed by media outlets, and dug up some statistics that actually matter, on women.
We had a look at the key numbers in education and workplaces, to find out how well women fare, on these parameters. While the numbers don’t exactly paint a rosy picture, they give us an insight into what needs to be done, to address the wide gap between men and women, at work. For example, we found out that women hold only 8 per cent of the board seats, and 3 per cent of the board chairs, in the corporate setup. While this is a truly alarming stat, it also tells us that we need a mindset change, from both men and women, and at all organizational levels, so that we see more and more women in leadership roles for companies. Similarly, the fact that a substantial percentage of women drop out of work after having kids, points to the need of greater empathy from companies, in terms of providing better maternity benefits, and also a revision in paternity leave structure, so that women can make the transition phase smoother.
The other vital statistics that emerged were as follows:-
- Only 51% of women are literate, compared to 75% men.
- Nearly 46% of all undergraduate students and 40% of all PhD students are women. The numbers vary across different fields, with IT having 40% female students.
- The labour force participation rate for women is falling, from 37% in 2004-05 to 29% in 2009-10. In the rural areas, the percentage of women workers is 25%, while in the urban areas, it is just 15%.
- Nearly 45% Indian women say their decision to leave their jobs was strongly influenced by the prevalent notion that women must take care of the household while men must work and provide for the family.
- Out of 323 total executive directorship positions on the Bombay Stock Exchange, just eight are held by women.
Once people realize the kind of value addition that can be provided by women, and is currently missing in their structures, they would be more proactive in getting them on board. Videos like this one can help us in doing that. So go ahead and have a dekko!