Does the mirror have two faces, where Indian women entrepreneurs are concerned? Roughly half the population in India
consists of women, yet is this really reflected in the boardrooms and venture fund offices or incubators across India?
A recent study by CIGARS shows that only 9% of women are in managerial positions in India. In a country where there are so many issues and special interest groups, sometimes I get the feeling that women’s progression in the workplace does not really make a hot story. And yet, never before have you seen so many women become professionals, as one has seen in the last ten years, this is especially apparent if you look at sectors like television and banking. And this trend is bound to be reflected in a rising number of women opting for entrepreneurship.
That women are a resource group that needs practical assistance has been recognised by massive multi-sector organisations like Tata. This week saw full page newspaper ads highlighting the Tata Second Career Internship Programme that focuses on training women professionals who have taken a career break.
Those who have taken the entrepreneurial road themselves, believe that while there may not be a mass trend yet for women starting their own ventures, the seeds of doing that in increasing numbers certainly exists, what is needed is a change in attitude towards them.
As Prajakt Raut, Co-founder, Orange Cross a healthcare initiative, puts it: “Women in India have been traditionally entrepreneurial. It is in their DNA. A woman who supplements household income with tailoring assignments is an entrepreneur. A lady who teaches kids in the colony is an entrepreneur.
I don't think that this is recognized as entrepreneurship. I also don’t see any observable trends in women entrepreneurs in the traditional sense yet. We need to alter that situation. We need to celebrate women entrepreneurs without asking them the questions related to, “so how do you mange this with household work”. I am appalled to see these questions also being asked of Indra Nooyi(of PepsiCo) and I would recommend that she walks out of such interviews as she does disservice to millions of other women who may not have the same opportunities as she has had. Why was Jack Welsh never asked "So, how did you manage to do it all while your daughter was growing up?"
This is a valid point; there just aren’t enough women who have yet broken out of the demands and expectations of society who are entrepreneurs in hard core sectors of industry or IT for example. Traditionally, Indian women entrepreneurs so far tend to be in non core sectors like media or social entrepreneurship .And with the right environment Indian women certainly have the ability and drive to be able to start organisations in any sector. Sudha Sarin, COO , Sampark PR, believes that the skill set for a woman entrepreneur is the same as that for a man, “ They have to be driven and consumed by the idea, they have to have faith in it and believe in it against all odds. They also need the organisational and business-leadership skill set required to lead their company.”
We are seeing an opportunity in India as never before for women to really take off and claim their rightful place in becoming business leaders both as entrepreneurs and top –ranking executives. What is needed is the right ecosystem to nurture their skills and abilities: this ecosystem would cover the government, business mentoring groups, targeted funds from the banking and venture capitalists and support from society to bring about this change.
Only then will the mirror reflect the correct picture about women in business.
Next week: The second part of this column will look at specific suggestions on fostering entrepreneurship and involvement of women in companies.
Some resources :
1) http://www.tatasecondcareer.com/: An Internship programme for women who have taken a career break with flexitime options and monthly payment .
2) www.tienewdelhi.org : TiE is holding a discussion programme on the 8th of August in Delhi to launch its Special Interest Group for Women Entrepreneurs - a dedicated forum created with the aim to nurture, empower and enable women entrepreneurship in India.
3) http://www.earthygoods.co.in/: A women led organisation , mentored by Dr. Nachiket Mor, ICICI Foundation's chief visionary and President. Earthy Goods works hands-on with its partners enabling them to make their produce marketable.
Paarul Chand is an entrepreneur and a media advocacy expert, with special focus on developmental issues. A writer, she has worked as a television journalist for shows on CNBC India, BBC World, Economic Times Television and Asia Business News-Dow Jones. She is founder Bright Lite Communications, a content,film making and media advocacy firm. She can be contacted at [email protected]
