‘All policymakers should have diverse gender perspectives’

Concepts of gender equality, diversity, and neutrality, are some of the burning topics in the evolving landscape of inclusivity in professional spaces. Aman Dhall, Founder, CommsCredible quizzes the panelists on these concepts being woven into our daily roles' functionalities.

Nandita Mishra (IES), Senior Economic Adviser in Department of Food & Public Distribution, mentions gender issues are not just a woman's issue, and need to be brought into the mainstream light. "All policymakers should have diverse gender perspectives, we get a beautiful mix when a different perspective gets added". She further elaborates on making gender issues mainstream by sharing examples such as the unpaid care economy and states that if unpaid care such as domestic chores mainly done by women were added, it would add 12 trillion dollars to the national income.

Dr. Kajal, IAS, Director, Department of Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, Delhi mentions in her years of service, these concepts have been an integral part of our daily lives, and when decisions are taken without looking at these aspects, it would lead to missing out on factors. She shares an anecdote on how she interviewed for a role in the power sector, which is a male-dominated area with her counterparts being from the field of technology and engineering from MIT or IIT. She interviewed for the role, got the job, and when she asked her senior why she was selected, she was told, 'You come with a perspective others don't have'. She adds, "This is how daily decisions are taken, by bringing in diverse perspectives, diversity, and inclusivity.

Dhall then takes the conversation forward and brings up the issues of dignity, and further leads the discussion to steps taken to cater to equality such as 'quota'.

Shedding light on the concern for due dignity towards women, Dr. Kajal further talks about how she grew up in a house with no differentiation based on gender but when she started working and was exposed to female feticide, abrupt child sex ratio, and women still being restricted to household chores. She says, "Today everyone takes maternity leave for granted but it was a fight at one point... We've come a long way in terms of HR policies, and so on, but when we talk about dignity we have a long way to go".

'Quota' has been a facilitator for marginalized and disempowered communities, though Mishra states that quotas for women can fix the bias that already exists but creating a level-playing field does not mean we reduce the quality and bring in incompetent people, education and exposure for women is what needs to be worked on and is important, but selection should be based on metrics, allowing women to prove their mettle.

The panelists conclude the conversation on fostering diversity for inclusive growth by stating the issues in our system need to be addressed on multiple levels, interpersonal, community, and global. Support systems from families and the opposite gender is lacking, they should come forward and share the burden of responsibilities. Work-life balance is important for women and their overall well-being.