/ciol/media/agency_attachments/c0E28gS06GM3VmrXNw5G.png)
Follow UsShilpa Shankar is a software professional with a well-known software company in Bangalore. She has been with this firm for almost three years now.
“At 24, with a little over two years of experience in the IT field, I am a bundle of contradictions and self-doubts. When I left college, I had big dreams. I dreamt of money, bikes, cars and a name for myself. I dreamt of making a difference to the lives of people and of giving back to the society in more ways than I had received.
Looking back, I find all my dreams lie shattered. People will argue that as IT professionals, we receive tons of money. But what they forget is that to save on tax, we take loans to build a house. And then the EMI for the house leaves us with very little to live a life full of lights and riches. We work so hard, on weekends too, that at times, the only day that I look forward to is the next payday. With so much work, I hardly have time for myself, leave alone for the loved ones and the society.
Those who know about my problems, generally ask, "Why do you stick around in IT." Well, there are two reasons. One, because it gives me the opportunity to see new places and visit other countries. Second, because non-IT people look at me with high regards. They say, "You know, she is working in a software company. She just returned from the US. She has a house in her own name and has tons of dollars."
In the solitude of the night, I frequently ask myself: "Is this what I wanted? Am I happy? Do I want to continue what I am doing?" And then suddenly I remember the conference call that I should attend. I tell myself: "I shall think of these things later. Let me attend the call."And at the end of the call I have more work and less time to think. And life goes on...”
Nivruti Rai is a Principal Engineer at Intel India who manages a technical development team in the company. She has been with Intel, Oregon, US for the last 12 years and was relocated to Bangalore last October. She was the first Indian to receive “dual citizenship” from the Indian Government. She is the senior most woman executive at Intel India and the only woman principal engineer out of the 3000-strong team in her company in India.
“I don't feel any difference in the work environment in the US and India. In fact, in India, there are more girls getting into the engineering stream. In the US, I've heard school girls saying that they are discouraged by their moms and grandmoms not to get into tech since it is tough. I used to speak at sessions in high schools there to encourage girls to take up careers in math and science. In India, there is a lot of encouragement given to girls to become engineers.
I became principal engineer three years back and I was only the second principal engineer in my division. I got into IT because it was what I wanted to do since I was good at math and science.
For me the most difficult task was to manage my home, two kids and my work related responsibilities. It has been a difficult road. There were so many times when I felt like a superwoman since I was always available to my kids while also taking care of my work deliverables even if it meant working through the night.
There were many times when the pressure built up and I just felt like quitting. But then I believed in myself. It is only when you are confident in yourself that you can succeed.
When I joined Intel years ago, there were fewer women. Now, I see that the number is increasing steadily.
Lakshmi Ramakrishnan is Manager, Product Support and CIM, Novellus. She has been in the industry for ten years now.
“Women find working in the IT industry quite comfortable because it has an open culture and provides equal opportunities to both men and women.
I have received a lot of exposure thanks to travel and meeting with customers, which has enriched my experience. One is expected to learn on one's own and be more proactive.
The industry is quite demanding and with standards improving by the day, the demands are also on the increase. I'm sure an entry-level employee in the industry handles more work than what I used to when I entered the industry.
Married women find it difficult to cope with work demands. The expectations on women are always rising. She is expected to take care of the family and home as well as meet work expectations.
I feel that there is a paradigm shift in the way in which the older generation views women now. From being seen as a liability, society is accepting women as assets.
Sujata Chakraborty is an instructional designer in one of the leading e-learning companies in Mumbai. She says because of the IT revolution more jobs are available and more women have started earning big bucks. As a result, women have become more aware of choice. This has given rise to a lifestyle change. Women choosing to stay single, women choosing their partners, women choosing when they want to have babies, women choosing to pick up the tab. In the society we live in, all this is bound to have repercussions.
About whether the IT industry provides a level playing field, Sujata says it does in just one sense in that women at the workplace are expected to perform as well as anybody else. But, when it comes to the organization, she has doubts as to how fair they are to women. There is just tokenism. “In a sea of men at the top, there will be just one woman.”
There are exceptions, though, she points out, like the ICICI in India, which is completely women-dominated at the top.
Sreeroopa Menon, an executive editor in a newly started KPO company in Mumbai, feels that women are being accepted more readily in managerial roles and seen as rightfully deserving. But, she says, the climb to the very top will still take a while. Babies and families still are the priority for most married women.
She wants women-oriented projects or women-group run startups to be given special encouragement. Women should be allowed easier access to loans to start their own business or ventures.
Meena Sinha, director (HR), iSOFT India, an in-house software unit of KPMG, says IT is one industry, which is extremely friendly to women. Industry liberally offers flexi-timings, working from home, extended maternity leave, etc. The concept of virtual workplaces will spread extensively in the IT industry, which would again suit women the most. This kind of freedom is rarely seen in other industries.
Meena believes women can definitely make better managers than men. They are uniquely placed to be outstanding in all the key managerial qualities such as organising, managing, delegating, empathising and showing patience.
Additionally, she points out, women are better at multi-tasking as they are juggling different roles at all stages of their lives. Women are better at empathising with people and do not merely deliver hard instructions. And that's precisely what the IT industry requires today.
Annette Martis is Manager (Consumer Sales, India), Symantec. She is of the view that the IT industry has provided an “equal opportunities” atmosphere, which is gaining momentum. The most challenging aspect before women is how to strike a balance between work and home.
Because of their ability to multi-tasking, women have better entrepreneurial skills. They handle a very complex organization called the “house hold” with people of various age — groups and different sexes. They learn the art of negotiation, patience and understanding along with the inherent quality of emotional intelligence.
Doris Rao, communication consultant to several IT companies, is based in Mumbai and is a single parent to a 10-year-old daughter. She had to change her jobs frequently to meet the growing needs of her daughter. During the dotcom boom, she used to put her daughter to bed and then leave home and work through the night with others on the 'graveyard shift' and return before she woke up. That way, she could play mother by day and also be part of the dotcom buzz of that time.
She advocates that every working woman must build a fairly strong support structure of friends and neighbours, so that any emergency in their absence can be taken care of.
CyberMedia News