March 08, 2007 Acknowledging women achievers By Sumera Naqvi Working women have made their presence felt but continue to fight for benefits and rights in the workplace They say the work environment becomes urbane and sophisticated when women are part of the workforce. Though the downside of women empowerment may not let this statement hold completely true as women employees continue to struggle with problems such as sexual harassment and rights and benefits in the workplace like paid maternity leave etc., the upside gives women plenty of reason to celebrate. It is heartening to see today that more females, particularly Pakistani women, are entering the workforce and proving themselves, thus also changing the rigid mindset of the gender conscious to accept the term, ‘person’ than ‘man’ or ‘woman’. The Women’s Forum, organised by a multinational group, recently arranged a ceremony to present awards to women high achievers, who also serve as role models to other Pakistani working women. The list of awardees was drawn up after much deliberation over a span of almost a year. Unlike the commonly revered notion that behind every successful man there is a woman, Rafiq Rangoonwala, the CEO of a company, was the man who was "proud to acknowledge that the event had my nod of approval from the moment of the inception of its idea." He couldn't be more grateful to the existence of the women in his life -–– mother, sister, wife and then daughter -–– that showered love on him in their own individual ways. Chosen by a distinguished panel of writers, journalists, artists and educationists, a mix of men and women, the women recipients were duly “recognized for their achievements,” said Iram Inayat Ali, Manager, Marketing, Research and Analysis. Compered by the famous humourist, Anwer Maqsood, who made light jibes at the audience filled with vibrant working women, young and old, the evening was made a memorable one with the presence of Moin Akhtar, the seasoned comedian and actor. Their funny one-liners sent the audience in ripples as Moin Akhtar took digs at the compere, and played the role of a commercial poet tickling the funny bone. The list of 10 women acknowledged for their high achievement in their respective fields: Zubeida Dossal (education), Ameena Saiyad (print and book publishing), Sheema Kirmani (performing arts), Sonya Batla (fashion and style), Anis Haroon (social work), Sultana Siddiqui (TV media), Yasmeen Lari (architecture), Justice Nasra Iqbal (law), Ruqqaiya Nazir (private/corporate sector), and Dr Rehana Shah (science). Awards were presented to these women by the members of the advisory panel and distinguished members of the Women’s Forum. The hefty award (a man followed each recipient holding the heavy accolade to her seat) truly matched the accomplishments of each of these outstanding women. Yasmeen Lari could not receive the award in person as she was up in Mansehra helping the earthquake-stricken people in re-building of their homes. The Minister for Women Development, Sindh, Dr Saeeda Malik emphasised the need to network as many working women so that they are able to exchange experiences and views. A gynaecologist by profession who later took to politics, she confessed, “If I were given a choice, I would prefer to be born a woman again,” as a woman gives birth to life. The policy of Women’s Forum, which was established in 2005, is to emphasise corporate social responsibility for women’s uplift and also provide opportunities to special children to be able to gain confidence. It has been organising group discussions and ‘success story sessions’ for working women where they exchange views and solutions to everyday issues of the workplace. “It is heartening to find that there is no dearth of accomplished working women in the country,” said Kausar Asif, Senior Marketing Services Manager, “as women are forging ahead in every field. The Forum is about helping women empower themselves with more confidence and cognizance to deal with work related problems. Our strategy has evolved according to discussions and sessions with working women.” In September last year, it held a congress in which a number of speakers were invited to discuss recurring issues faced by working women in their respective professions. “It has been observed that most working women, especially working mothers, suffer from the agonising guilt of ignoring their family for personal enrichment,” says Kausar. “We arranged training sessions on time management and communication skills to teach working mothers how to find quality time once they manage their time. The sessions were quite well-attended.” As more and more issues crop up in discussions and sessions in the coming years, it intends to break ice with more working women joining in the march to a better understanding of women workers in the workplace. Though stringent feminism may not be on the agenda as it will clash with the corporate image, it is also open to men and their input. “They are not only on the advisory panel but are also involved in the organisation of various events,” she added.

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