Women in our society have traditionally not played their due role in professional walks of life, but times are changing
IN a bewildering world scenario, dominated by terrorism and economic turmoil, a quiet revolution is taking place in Pakistan — and it is going virtually unnoticed. Women are determining the dynamics of this revolution, which is certain to influence several aspects of the country’s economy in the coming decades or years.
Right at this moment, in the midst of global chaos, women in Pakistan have chosen to work on a different — and more focused — agenda. They have opted for self-development and greater economic empowerment. It is observed that a number of women are entering the once male-dominated management areas. A survey of female management students shows that women now have a much more positive attitude towards their place in management. This trend has been reinforced by the increasing number of women taking formal courses in management in various institutions. A survey questionnaire was drawn up to find out why women have shifted into management and what they see as their prospects in the future.
The overwhelming view was that a degree in management should help job prospects. Researchers in recent years believe that women’s increased investment in higher education and greater commitment to management as a career would provide significant breakthrough in improving the social status of women. In reality, regardless of their education and experience, women in the developing countries could hardly reach senior positions due to gender discrimination. To predict women’s role in management in the 21st century, we must look back and try to understand the nature of cultural and professional barriers limiting the advancement of women. Some countries like the United States, Japan and European countries have legislation to provide equal opportunities to women who wish to enter professions that are normally male dominated. In Pakistan, a majority of working women (80 per cent) are engaged in the informal sector at low wages under poor working environment, though they are contributing significantly to the national economy.
In today’s competitive world the loss of high-level women in MNC’s is a loss of intellectual capital. The loss of good talent also precipitates low morale and uncertainty among working women. There is a need to reverse this trend. Gender equality issues should be openly discussed without fear of repercussions.
In the survey, 14 per cent of female students indicated their preference for joining the management of MNCs. As women usually seem to gravitate towards human resource and marketing, 32 per cent plan to opt for these disciplines. The remaining respondents showed their interest in finance/accounting. Less than one per cent, predictably enough, chose production management. Social work and teaching as careers could not be associated with business management. Forty-eight per cent of the respondents felt being a woman was neither an advantage nor disadvantage in career development. However, 43 per cent felt that a distinct disadvantage existed viz-a-viz women. The disadvantages identified include: 12 per cent felt that women are not seen as long-term employees; 21.6 per cent felt there is a “general prejudice”, while nine per cent of the students felt that women are not thought of as “top executives”. Women have to try harder to prove themselves. Adverse reactions primarily arose from negative attitudes of job interviewers and also from some working experience: 12 per cent had their opinions clouded by this factor. First and second-year students were much more optimistic about job opportunities. Educated men and women tend to believe that poverty, huger, disease and tyranny might be curtailed, if women are given a chance to join the task force.
Global economic conditions from the early 1990s were such that tapping talent took a back seat to the creation of jobs. The demand for skilled labour and potential leaders will increase. Companies that recongize the value of women as an economic resource will be best prepared to compete internationally. Throughout the world, there is a limited pool of potential, high performing women managers. Thus, forecasting the role of women in management is increasingly important. Currently a single question dominates discussion about women: Why are they under-represented, under-utilized and skewed in their distribution among various management levels? However, in the United States there are more women than elsewhere poised to assume leadership positions.
In Pakistan, women have been subjected to violence as a result of cultural pattern and harmful traditional or customary practices. All acts of extremism are linked to race, sex, language and religion that perpetuate the lower status of women, at the work place, in the community and society. Violence against women is exacerbated by social pressures. Factors contributing to continued prevalence of such violence, like rape or sexual slavery, amplify due to the absence of educational and other means, which could address the causes and consequences of violence. Human rights activists believe that the Pakistan government has, at the most, paid lip service to the issue of combating violence against women. Inadequate and discriminatory legal framework is the major impediment for victims seeking redress. The system is further imbalanced on account of biased officials, and harassment at every step of the law enforcement process. The law fails to criminalize a common or serious form of domestic violence. The absence of gender-disaggregated data and statistics of women sufferings makes monitoring difficult. Equality, partnership between women and men and respect for human dignity must permeate all stages of the socialization process. Education should promote self respect, mutual considerations and human values. Intervention strategies are required in both conflict and non-conflict situations. Feudal business controls, centralized bureaucratic approach, aggressive ideologies are expected to disintegrate under the avalanche of change in the wake of women’s empowerment.
In Pakistan, women’s low literacy has been a major drawback. In the urban centres, however, in spite of the limitations and resource gaps female literacy has gone up from 19 per cent in 1981 to 24 per cent in 1998 and well over 30 per cent in 2000. A number of multinational firms, particularly the pharmaceutical sector, is proactive in identifying high potential women and providing monitoring and support for their upward career movement. Thus, monitoring and executive development are crucial for upward movement and retention of women in the corporate sector.
Corporations cannot afford, any longer, to ignore the large pool of talented professional women. Work culture and career path offered to women not only provide for powerful economics forces but are influential social forces as well.
Common stereotypes in development social order tend to define men “objective” in orientation and women as “subjective”. It may not be a fixed biological reality but definitely reflects the psychological effects of the invisible wedge. Beneath these convictions lie still deep assumptions about reality — a set of unspoken beliefs and human experience. Every civilization had different experiences of women’s role and participation. In the subcontinent, a woman is forced to continue doing housework (even when professionally employed), rearing children and preparing them for life in the work system. Men took historically more ‘advanced’ form of work. Women who left the threshold of the home to engage in interdependent economic activity were accused of being defeminized and rebellious. The fact is that the rising ‘battle of sexes’ is the result of deep economic realities. Today, men and women have to be, jointly, the operators of the economic switchboard. Once we accept this actuality, the hidden dynamics of human potential will be uncovered.
Today we stand on the edge of a new age of synthesis. In all intellectual fields, from basic sciences to sociology, psychology and specially economics, we need to broaden our minds. The antiquated ideology of male chauvinism should be replaced with gender refinement, justice and equality in every walk of life, where presently the social injustices prevail so fiercely against women.
The respondents of the survey mentioned the value of short course experiences. It was interesting to note that in spite of doing these courses and degrees, the disadvantage of “being a woman” could not be removed. The implications of the findings should be widespread. First, corporations will have to provide the organizational climate and resources to facilitate and integrate women into business life. This will mean providing the needed facilities for women, opening-up opportunities for career development, changing attitudes towards women. Second, the institutions responsible for MBA programmes should include special courses to deal with women’s specific concerns. It is necessary to help male managers come to terms with the changing role of women in management.
The general debate is: What is the competency level of our women? The case studies of the West have revealed that women are seen as more successful bosses. Their feminine approach is better suited to modern team-based management. In Sydney, for example, 1332 female managers were interviewed. It is believed that similar surveys are conducted in the US, Canada and New Zealand. The results help to discredit the myth that women are unsuited to leadership positions. We might have some leanings about empowering leadership. “High involvement” leadership approach which replaces authoritarian, power-oriented behaviour with a more supportive, coaching behaviour is better for managing the workforce. It fits more naturally with the social roles that women traditionally play.
Essentially women are expected to follow the “male model” of management, involving a total time commitment and aggressive competitive relations with peers. Women graduates and faculty members give a contrasting response to this situation. The alternative model given by them allows a balance between work and private spheres, harmonizing work and non-work obligations.
We live in a rapidly changing world. If we listen carefully, we can hear the women’s revolution thundering on not so distant shores.
Women in our society have traditionally not played their due role in professional walks of life, but times are changing
