what can be done to improve gender diversity in indian workforce?
DESCRIPTION
Some steps to increase gender diversity in Indian workforce. View as an individual and as an MNC manager.TRANSCRIPT
Indian Social and Political Environment
Assignment
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE GENDER DIVERSITY IN THE WORKFORCE?
Submitted toProf. Nayan Chowdhury
OnFebruary 25, 2015
By
Subhraprakash Mondal (Roll No.: 144107)
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE GENDER DIVERSITY IN THE WORKFORCE?
You can understand the current situation of women in India by some basic numbers.
As per 2011 census, women population is 48.52% of the total population. Literacy rate for
Indian male (7year+) is 80.89%, but same for the female population is only 64.64%. These
basic numbers indicate that there is a huge gender discrepancy in India. This discrepancy
increases in high school to higher education, which is reflected in female workforce in our
country. Only 30% (approximate) of the total workforce is female in India now a day. As per
my concern, the main reason for less participation of female in workforce is lack of quality
education system, our traditional social structure, less awareness regarding opportunities.
Therefore, to increase gender diversity we need to focus on those areas.
I would like to take following steps to increase gender diversity in workforce:
A. As an individual living in Indian family
In India, parents let their girl children go to school but in many cases after the completion
of school, they do not allow them to go college. This is a primary barrier for female students
to go for a job, as they do not get the proper education to be in a job. Some girls go to higher
study or college level but cannot continue their studies as their parents force them to marry
and after marriage, they have to do the most common job of homemaker. To change this
situation:
1. Promote education for girls: Promotion of higher education and vocational education
can increase the awareness of their capabilities and rights for female student community. I
would like to do some campaigning at high school level in a different place to increase
the awareness. If the girl students once come to know that they can do, and they have
right to do the job, they would be more interested in their studies and career. Promotion
should be done through print media, television ads, social media, and all similar medium.
Let them know about the various fields in which they can do the job, and they can
become self-dependent.
2. Increase awareness: Promotion of education and job opportunities cannot be able to
make female participation in the workforce, they would be facing some negative barrier
from their parents, husband and in laws also. To eliminate this barrier, we need to
increase awareness among them. We need to inform them about the positive and good
side when a female works. We can use the same medium, which are used in promotion of
education.
3. Develop education system and infrastructure: Till now benefit of education system is
not available to all. Rural area is lacking behind on this issue. Sometimes students in the
village area have to go to other places for school and colleges. So it becomes difficult for
the girl to go to school and college in our Indian social context. So we need to think about
developing education infrastructure. Construction of some schools and college will not be
sufficient and helpful alone to increase gender diversity. We need to design our education
system i.e.: subjects and syllabus, in such a way so that education can make them capable
of working in corporate structure.
4. Create jobs for female only: After doing the above things we need to create
opportunities. Practically we would be facing great competition from male dominating
society; it is a threat for the female. To assist them in the competition with other, we
should take care of their opportunities. We can create some post only for female. There
are so many works, which can be done by female more efficiently than the male
candidates can. Make those posts open for women only.
5. Support, motivate and appreciate: Let start this from your home only. I would like
support female of my family to go for a job, and then motivate them to continue in their
way, and it would be my great pleasure to appreciate them for what they have achieved. If
we all start doing these then, it will help to increase gender diversity in Indian workforce.
I would like to respect them for their dedication and whatever they done for a family,
society. Now let them be successful and to shine.
B. As a manager in an MNC:
1. Recruit female employee: As a manager in an MNC I would like to recruit female as a
permanent employee in our organization. To increase gender diversity, I would like to
implement some strict rule in HR policy for hiring a new employee. I would like to make
it compulsory 1:1 ratio for hiring male and female employee from educational institute or
in lateral entry (if sufficient female candidate is available). If I am in the industry like
manufacturing, then it is very difficult to maintain 1:1 ratio. That time I would like to
maximize as per the resource pool available.
2. Involve female employee: I would like to involve our organization’s female employees
in all type of activity. Make them feel free to work in the corporate environment. I would
like to give them some responsibilities other than official work (like organizing some
events within the organization). So that they can feel that they are important and a rich
culture of collaboration can be developed. At the same time, I would take care that those
activities so that their workload be within a certain limit.
3. Support, train, and motivate them: I would like to support all my employees equally
without any gender bias. So I would support them, give them proper training and, after
all, motivate them equally. I would like to do these to avoid any insecure feeling in
female employees. It would be a great step in developing a culture of mutual
understanding and respect in the corporate environment. If our female employees are
happy and satisfied with their job and if they feel the freedom, self-respect then they will
bring new female employees to our workforce just by telling their story and inspiring
others.
4. Protect them from all evil forces against them: As there are so many incidents of
sexual harassment and gender discrepancy in the corporate world, so I would like to
implement a full proof system to avoid those such unwanted happenings. In this issue, I
would like to my female employees to take the leadership so that all the female
employees feel free to share any incident. Once I come to know that stuff I will always
take severe action against those persons who have done that. But it is better to prevent
than cure, so I would like to make all the employees aware of the consequences of doing
any misbehave or harassment with female employees.
5. Reward for achievement: Like all other MNC there may be some reward for
achievement of employees. However, to improve female participation in our workforce I
would like to announce some specific rewards for female employees.
6. CSR activities for development of female in our country: I would like to design some
CSR activities completely dedicated to female empowerment. For their education, health,
safety and all I would keep aside some fund from total CSR budget. This type of activities
will do the same what I would like do as an individual living in Indian family.
Refference: http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/index.html