Women face gender bias and unequal opportunities for career growth, say IIM alumni and students
Women students and alumni of the elite Indian Institutes of Management said they lack a level playing field at the workplace.About 35% of the respondents in a pan-IIM survey said they do not have equal opportunities for career growth as the men in their organisations. While this number has declined from 49% in the previous survey, there is still scope for improvement.The survey on ‘Women in the Workplace,’ based on women alumni and students from the 20 IIMs and shared exclusively with ET, is an initiative of IIM Kozhikode and led by Uma Kasoji, IIM-K alumnus and board member.Gender stereotyping and bias emerged as the key factors hindering the progress of women professionals, with 58% of the respondents saying they faced bias at the workplace.“The most commonly encountered biases are ‘Prove it again’ and ‘The Tightrope’,” said Kasoji,Among those surveyed, 26% faced the ‘Prove it Again’ bias, where women are held to a higher standard than men and must continually prove themselves. Women are promoted on performance, while men are promoted on potential.About 23% of the respondents encountered ‘The Tightrope’ bias, where professional women are seen as too weak or too assertive and must try to balance between the two.The dearth of women in leadership was evident, with 61% saying that female representation in their organisations’ top leadership tier was insignificant and that they need more role models.
Women face gender bias and unequal opportunities for career growth, say IIM alumni and students
Women students and alumni of the elite Indian Institutes of Management said they lack a level playing field at the workplace.About 35% of the respondents in a pan-IIM survey said they do not have equal opportunities for career growth as the men in their organisations. While this number has declined from 49% in the previous survey, there is still scope for improvement.The survey on ‘Women in the Workplace,’ based on women alumni and students from the 20 IIMs and shared exclusively with ET, is an initiative of IIM Kozhikode and led by Uma Kasoji, IIM-K alumnus and board member.Gender stereotyping and bias emerged as the key factors hindering the progress of women professionals, with 58% of the respondents saying they faced bias at the workplace.“The most commonly encountered biases are ‘Prove it again’ and ‘The Tightrope’,” said Kasoji,Among those surveyed, 26% faced the ‘Prove it Again’ bias, where women are held to a higher standard than men and must continually prove themselves. Women are promoted on performance, while men are promoted on potential.About 23% of the respondents encountered ‘The Tightrope’ bias, where professional women are seen as too weak or too assertive and must try to balance between the two.The dearth of women in leadership was evident, with 61% saying that female representation in their organisations’ top leadership tier was insignificant and that they need more role models.