International Women’s Day 2022: Advancing towards gender diversity at workplace

Is 2022 the year when COVID-19 will subside as a pandemic and become a part of our regular lives? At least, this is what scientists have to say. I feel that it will be something that we would learn to live with, something that we would accept and come to terms with. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? I mean not in the insanely havoc-like manner the virus affected our lives these years but more from a metaphorical perspective. It's International Women’s Day 2022 and we need to separate the chaff from what matters.

Equity in job opportunities, an equal playing field, pay based on competence and skills, and dropping the guise that women can’t do it all on their own are some issues that need our attention. Today, women are succeeding as Nobel laureates and scientists. They are flying fighter jets and sending rovers to planets around the galaxy. Behind each of these successes, we’re also ensuring that we keep all this progress safe from cyberattacks. But we need more women in the workspace and in cybersecurity domain and there are some good reasons why.

Financial security

Historically, the society has expected women to take care of household, manage finances, and ensure the well-being of everyone. Growing up, I would be in awe of women who would wear those beautiful sarees and head to their offices to work. They exuded confidence when interacting with others; but only a few of them were working in smaller cities and towns. When I graduated and started working, I realised that these women were empowered by a sense of financial security, which they got through their work. They were not just the homemakers, but wealth creators for their households. They contributed and were not someone who would look at financial security from a distance. 

Today, if our daughters are given an equal access to education and opportunities, there’s nothing that they can’t achieve. A working mother is a role model—someone who balances life’s curveballs, accepts challenges, and at the end of the day still smiles. Financial security is important not just for women to realise their true worth but also for the society to evolve and the nation to progress.

Risk-aware vs risk-averse

Women are perceived to be risk-averse but on the flipside, they are risk-aware. They know of the risks that exist at home, at work, or outside. And that’s the key differentiator when it comes to roles in industries, such as cybersecurity, especially cybersecurity. The true mettle of cybersecurity is not in patching systems after an attack, it is to predict an attack and secure systems and networks, should that scenario play out. 

Someone who is risk-averse would not be able to build a strategy that prevents a cybersecurity incident; they would lean more towards fixing the issue after the incident. According to me, women are more risk-aware, which is a rare skill that I have observed in actual scenarios.

Diversity in the board

Not a week goes by when I flip through the pages of a newspaper or scroll through my LinkedIn timeline to see ‘manels’ all over the place. Every event has a customary woman or two amidst 20–30 participants. Somehow, this doesn’t add up, but it still does—it’s a dichotomy. Globally, organisations have formulated programmes to ensure that more women become a part of the workforce. Over the past decade, the focus of a few organisations has moved towards understanding that women’s participation in the workforce alone is not going to bring gender parity in the workspace. There is a definite need to upskill and nurture women employees so that they can take up leadership positions. At one time, some of the biggest banks in India had women at the helm—that’s a great transition to gender parity.

But the corporate boards are still a territory that don’t see a fair representation of women. According to Deloitte report – Women in Boardroom 2022, women had just under 20 percent board seats globally. It’s an improvement from 15 percent in 2016 but 20 percent means gross under-representation. I see progressive, hard-working, and smart women in the global workforce and women in leadership positions, who can step up to the roles of CEOs, COOs, and important positions in the board. However, there seems to be some apprehension in bringing this transition around. In my opinion, this apprehension must be dropped so that women have access to equal opportunities.

Intrinsic empowerment

In my career, I have also faced various challenges, just like several other women. There comes a time when you must make a choice, whether you want to persevere and prove your worth towards the growth path in your professional career or if you want to raise the white flag and accept the status quo. The latter comes with the benefits of lesser angst and understanding that you have hit a ceiling, but the former comes with tons of challenges. You need to face that ever-present justification for your progress, which is not specific to any industry or organisation. Global organisations have understood this aspect and led with empathy to ensure a level-playing field. On this Women’s Day, my wish is for women to stand up for what they believe is right, engage in a discussion about their career aspirations, and growth path as an entrepreneur and as a person.

Find a mentor

A true mentor will never give you a solution to your problem, but guide you to find one based on your experiences and the context that you operate in. Hence, finding that mentor early in your professional life is important.  

Women need women leaders as mentors who have faced the challenges and the hardships through the years and can distil their experiences in a manner that no one else can. This Women’s Day, amidst a sea of marketing gimmicks, discounts, etc., separate the chaff from what matters and when you do that, you’ll chart your own way. 

The article has been written by Deepa Seshadri, Partner, Deloitte India