Eliminating Gender Bias in the Workplace

To identify what is ‘hot’ we need to understand what is ‘cold’. Similarly, to realise what gender diversity is, it is important to know and acknowledge the opposite of it and work our way from there. Now, if I were to write down all the career fields that lack gender diversity, the list would be long enough for the editor to call me and forbid me from writing an article ever again.

Diversity in the workplace is not just about gender, it is also about the inclusion of a range of ethnicities, sexualities, economic backgrounds, and ages.

For instance, the architectural domain had been predominantly white and male. Over the years, as we learned more about the concept of equal representation, we recognised the need and perks of a more diverse workplace. The reasoning that ‘women don’t opt for a career in mechanical engineering because of lack of creativity and experience with power tools’ is wrong. Their male counterparts don’t have the experience either. Mechanical engineering engages with creative design, artificial intelligence, etc. which require mathematical and scientific aptitude and has nothing to do with power tools. Neither gender has a skill advantage. They are equally competent.

Emphasizing the interdisciplinary, collaborative, and societal nature of all engineering disciplines are avenues worth pursuing as we seek to attract more women to the profession. We need the support of men to bring about positive change for women, and for those from different social communities and races, in every profession. Humble acts can be powerful enough to erode ingrained stereotypes.

Army inducts women as soldiers for the first time, breaking another glass ceiling. 

– TOI (May 2021)

The 13-lakh strong, overwhelmingly male-dominated army inducted its first-ever batch of 83 women Jawans into the Corps of Military Police. It was remarkable considering the armed forces appointed women only as officers. It is a welcome development that will promote gender inclusion in the Indian Army. Another change that was introduced was to grant permanent commission to women officers. This decision by the Supreme Court will have a positive impact. Female officers will no longer have to retire after 14 years of service, and will also be eligible for command posting. They will also be given a full pension alongside other financial benefits. This will shatter sex stereotypes of women being the ‘weaker sex’ and will encourage more women to consider a career in the military. More strategies focusing on gender diversity in the workplace should be established to ensure the empowerment and retention of women in every career field. 

The end-to-end production of the 50,000th MG Hector model was done by an all-women crew, including panel-pressing welding and even the production test. Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing director of MG motor, released a statement,

…It demonstrates that glass ceilings no longer exist even in an erstwhile male-dominated industry such as automobile manufacturing. We believe that this will inspire more women to join the automotive industry in India and abroad.

– Sadhana Sundar