Shakira "Waka Waka" as the FIFA World Cup 2010 Official Anthem became quite a rage. The lyrics beside the catchy ‘waka waka’ had a magical line ‘This time for Africa’. That said it all and made the cause much larger than football.
The HCL's Women Connect initiative has a similar appeal. And I feel like keep everything in those magical waka waka song's lyrics same except to replace the line 'This time for Africa' with 'This time for the ladies'.
'Mere pas maa hai. When India’s musical maestro A.R. Rahman quoted one of Bollywood’s most famous lines in his Oscar acceptance speech last year, the significance of his words was not lost on the millions of Indians watching. Translated literally, it means “I have my mother.” But the phrase meant a lot more; celebrating the role of a woman in his success and symbolizing the woman-power that has quietly influenced the path of Indian history.
Today, we are fortunate to be witnessing the unprecedented spread of this power beyond traditional roles and domestic confines – in politics, government, technology, even sports. Yet, sadly, it is still woefully missing in business leadership, with women comprising just 5 per cent of senior management positions. According to statistics, while the male-female ratio at the entry level in many organizations is balanced, a large number of women exit the workplace as they rise up to middle management, leaving behind a largely male dominated workplace.
The reason, I believe, is a fundamental point that corporations seem to miss. Very few women, particularly in India, abandon the crucial role they play on the home front – that of bringing up a child and nurturing a family – for the lure of professional success. To be sure, occasionally men will play the primary role in raising children. And, as some women in our organization have pointed out to me, having children – or taking the lead in raising them – may not be a priority for all women. Still, at the moment and at least in India, women often see this role, by necessity and preference, as theirs.
It is the importance of this value-system that must be accorded due respect in business. It’s quite simple really. The currency of today’s workplace is largely defined and designed for men. To utilize our female resources optimally, a workplace needs to meet the needs not only of men but of the multi-faceted role of women.'
Finally there is some company in India which means in both letter and spirit to banish the gender disparities in engagement by doing something meaningful for their female workers. Kudos... great job. Trend-setter!
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