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The argument about working women is over

Research conducted on the basis of Apurva Purohit's bestseller 'Lady You're Not A Man' is a revealing story of the female psyche and issues in the corporate sector

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The argument about working women is over

The argument about working women is over

Research conducted on the basis of Apurva Purohit's bestseller 'Lady You're Not A Man' is a revealing story of the female psyche and issues in the corporate sector

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | March 11, 2014

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“Lady You're Not a Man – The Adventures of a Woman at Work”, the national bestselling book by Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City, inspired Team LYNAM (Lady You're Not A Man) to embark on a quest to understand real life challenges faced by working Indian women.

The LYNAM team sent out a research team to unravel the complete picture in Corporate India, where 1,000 women from across the country spoke their minds about what they feel about the current work life scenario in India. The survey revealed some very interesting insights into the minds of men and women, which we might have assumed is not true.

Some interesting observations emerged about what single women experience, working mothers want, and how women feel about issues in different parts of India. For instance, 60% women have been asked at interviews whether they will quit if they get married. Are single women perceived as risky hire? Women in Delhi are more comfortable with a male boss, when compared to the rest of the country. As for working mothers, almost 60% would be relieved if their workplace had childcare facilities. As more and more working women refuse to give up careers post motherhood, there could be a message here for HR professionals.

lyanm-coverA substantial 27% of women also believe that working women take advantage through “lost babe in the woods”, “sexy diva”, and “emotional blackmail” syndromes. Women are also most offended by not being taken seriously by men in a workplace, even more than having their cleavage stared at!

The researched set comprised 84% women and 16% men. Around 66% of the respondents belonged to the age bracket of 25-34 years. A majority of the respondents work for the private sector and around 40% of them belong to the Media & Entertainment segment. Out of the total respondents, 68% belong to the junior and mid-management levels. This research was undertaken in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad.

Apurva Purohit said, “For many years we have only heard through anecdotes what working women are thinking and feeling about their workplace. This is the first definitive study which actually tells us about the biases they face, the issues they have to deal with, and the expectations they have, if we want them to continue to be part of corporate India. The success of the book 'Lady You're Not A Man' is a testimony to the desire Indian women have to achieve their goals both at work and at home. This research tells us how we can create an eco-system which looks at what is going through their minds and helps them achieve this desire.”

Highlights of the research findings:

  • 54% of women in Delhi; 58% of women in Mumbai; 45% of women in Bangalore believe that they have to drink / smoke to be a part of the inner circle at the workplace. In fact, around 61% of the males support this and agree with them. They are of the opinion that things are more casual and fun while they unwind over a drink or during the smoke break.

  • Even as women around the world go out and control the boardrooms of leading MNCs, the same is not the case with our industries at home. 67% of women in the Education sector; 71% in the Health sector; 60% in Media & Entertainment and around 63% in the Manufacturing sector firmly believe that a 'Glass Ceiling' does exist for women in the corporate sector and there is still a long way to go.

  • Sexual harassment at work: 45% of women in Mumbai and 40% of women in Bangalore said that would not report any incident at work because they believe nothing will really come out of the same. 53% in Delhi; 44% in Hyderabad and 57% of women in Pune believe that they might be the subject of office gossip if they report any sort of sexual harassment at work.

  • One of the most common things that a women employee is questioned in her job interview is about her 'Job scenario post wedding'. Women feel that recruiters, especially in the fields of Education (70%), Automobile (71%) and Media & Entertainment (60%) feel that hiring a woman employee is risky as they might leave the job post marriage

  • Another interesting fact that emerged is that around 35% of women in Bangalore, 42% in Chennai and 39% in Mumbai feel that most of the times women 'willingly' allow somebody else to take control over their life and career

  • 'Dealing with guilt': Around 73% of working women in the metro cities in the age group of 25-34 feel that spending quality time with their children takes precedence over quantity.

  • 45% of women in Delhi think that men believe that successful women often 'sleep their way to promotion'

  • While talking about the EQ at the workplace, 55% of women in metro cities feel that they are more connected to their work and their workplace compared to men, and hence prove to be more productive. On the other hand, 80% of males feel otherwise and do not agree that women are more attached to their work and workplace.

  • 53% of women in Southern part of the country feel that things at work tend to become more formal post marriage or motherhood. Most of them feel that this does affect the relationships at work.

  • Women are also most offended by 'Men not taking them seriously because they are women'! A whopping 48% felt that it was most offensive. While staring at cleavage, sexist remarks by men and men gossiping about them, all put together offended 38% of the respondents

  • Work matters and not looks! 80% of the respondents feel that a good worker will be chosen over a good looker for a very important presentation.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

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