Societal Norms Hinder Women in the Workplace

Arundhati Bhattacharya, chairperson at Salesforce, India and former chairperson, SBI, tells Deepsekhar Choudhury in an email interview it is essential to challenge traditional gender roles. Edited excerpts

- Deepsekhar Choudhury

Has Indian corporate culture evolved to support women in senior leadership?

Over the years, we've seen women break barriers, assuming key leadership positions across diverse industries and even areas such as steel, energy—a sign of the changing mindset within corporate India.

This shift signals a more inclusive future, but such incidents are sporadic, indicating that systemic biases continue to persist, often due to deeply rooted societal norms and traditional organisational structures.

Despite these challenges, organisations that truly champion diversity are paving the way for real transformation.

Labour force participation of women remains low. How does it impact the economy?

Research consistently shows that increasing women's participation in the workforce could yield a substantial boost to India's GDP. However, societal norms, entrenched biases in the workplace and structural barriers continue to undermine women's workforce engagement.

Many women still face a choice between career and caregiving. Policymakers must play a critical role in addressing these challenges by creating enabling and empathetic work environments.

Affordable and accessible child care facilities, flexible work arrangements and gender-sensitive policies that support caregiving responsibilities are essential. Corporate entities, too, have a pivotal role to play in this transformation.

Women are expected to juggle office and home while men hardly face such demands.