Higher level positions are generally occupied by men
Higher level positions are generally occupied by men
Higher level positions are generally occupied by men. Should women be promoted to these jobs on reservation basis or merit basis? What's your opinion?
The European Commission is considering new laws to get more women into the top management jobs. Currently, just one in seven board members at Europe's top firms are women. A 2008 Catalyst survey of more than 4,000 full-time-employed men and women-high potentials who graduated from top MBA programs worldwide from 1996 to 2007 shows that the women are paid $4,600 less in their first post-MBA jobs, occupy lower-level management positions, and have significantly less career satisfaction than their male counterparts with the same education. That’s also the case when we take into account factors such as their industry, prior work experience, aspirations, and whether they have children.
In India the situation is far worse as there is large scale discrimination and women are not considered for higher leadership positions. A lot of stereotypes persist against women and negotiating the path to their roles is a constant learning experience, some of it may be unpleasant for those aspiring for higher positions.In India, deeply rooted gender prejudices clearly play a part in the low number of top women leaders. They are supposed to be housewives, dutiful daughters, and primary caregivers for children and hence women are often pulled away from the workplace, thus limiting access to demanding corporate jobs.
So what can be done to change attitudes and help talented and aspiring ladies to occupy higher positions in corporate? The suggestion to have reservations for women at higher level corporate positions sounds good but it has its own pros and cons. The policy may help in the short run but will lead to meritocracy getting a backseat. Further in the absence of proper grooming and mentoring by managements the reserved block may lead to less talented or inefficient candidates being picked to handle senior corporate profiles.
However, career experts propose a different approach to help women climb the corporate ladder by a conscious balance of work-home duties/responsibilities. It is suggested that employers can introduce flexible work hours and help in avoiding family conflicts faced by working women due to long work hours. They can also present job profiles in more gender-neutral terms, make provisions for child care facilities in office premises and so on to make women more comfortable, competitive and stress free. Further a better media representation of successful women in engineering and other technical jobs is one of the keys to increasing the number of women attracted to engineering and computer science degrees, the kind of education that lead to technology careers and growth.
There is also a prominent belief that it's important to have more women in executive-level roles for reasons essential to good business. Women can add a different thought and strategic insight and have a more sensitive view of markets and consumers at large. They may also offer a different customer perspective and often introduce a different kind of management style. All these qualities need to be encouraged through an all round women support system and not just by reservations.
Discussion
- RE: Higher level positions are generally occupied by men -Deepa Kaushik (04/12/14)
- The world is undoubtedly a Men dominant society. Though women are fighting hard to reach the men, still we are a lot backward in pulling up women to the peak. On the global scale, we can see many women occupying some chief posts and playing an esteemed role in the life. But when we compare their percentile with the men worldwide, it is just the meagre amount.
When we compare the same within our own country, the status is way much down, as women are lying much backward. Our Indian society is still within the hold of superstitious beliefs and old baseless virtues regarding the working of the women. Women are categorised as home-makes, with a compulsion imposed on them to look after home, though they prefer to work outside, or not. Willingly or unwillingly, women have to perform the multi-tasking, taking care of the family as well as the job.
The women herself is the main enemy of women, especially in India. Those are the old females who keep their girl child devoid of the basic education, exposure and the permission to move socially and experience the working environment. They get stick by the old phrases and keep repeating the tethered language of the decades older proverbs to keep women from coming up.
The conflict within the same sect has given men a golden opportunity to climb up easily without any competition or hindrance. Women still faces a lot many obstacles even to maintain her job to carry out her and her family’s living. This could be rectified only with confident move by women and establishing women empowerment worldwide. Educating the masses to remove the prejudice with respect to gender could provide freedom to the women and help to climb up to the high level positions.
- Higher level positions are generally occupied by men -Janhvi Johorey (04/04/14)
Higher level positions are generally occupied by men.
Should women be promoted to these jobs on reservation basis or merit basis? What's your opinion?
Introduction
Reservation or merit is generally the basis on which women are promoted. Men tend to occupy the higher rungs of any field whether it is public sector enterprises or a private concern. The most important part about choosing the right option when it comes to ensuring jobs for women should be to opt for a criterion which is fair. Reservation tends to lead to job promotions on a mechanical basis. Merit is the true basis on which women should be promoted. Women’s reservation should not be the basis on which a person is promoted. This is because reservation causes a woman to get the post regardless of the level of skill or talent she may have.
Viewpoint
Reservation can be part of affirmative action programs designed to elevate the status of women. However, it should not be the basis on which promotion to higher level positions are made. Rather than gender, the prime consideration should be the skill and capabilities possessed by a person. The basis on which selection should be made should concentrate on factors such as leadership and correct personality traits for the particular job. For instance, the post of the assistant commissioner of police requires a courageous and daring person with moral integrity and a social conscience. Choosing a person solely on the basis of his or her gender is a major misjudgement.
Reservation may also ensure that only a privileged few access the post rather than making it a fair for a wider pool of candidates. Choosing the right person for the job is a difficult process which requires a lot of careful consideration. The right traits and qualities are what distinguish the right person for the job. If women are given excessive consideration for a particular post, perhaps more able male candidates will be excluded for the job.
The right solution is to make the selection process fair and unbiased rather than concentrating on a particular reservation policy. Problems such as the creamy layer have emerged because of continued reservation. Reserving jobs for women will also create resentment among male subordinates and this may lead to a major problem when it comes to the effective functioning of the organization.
Women deserve to be selected for jobs on grounds of merit. They have many skills such as empathy and professionalism which make them better in many spheres. Women have the right to apply for jobs and be considered for them based on their qualifications and experience. Reservation will spoil the process and create a biased system of selection. Even talented women who are selected for the job may face discrimination because it will be alleged that they were hired on the basis of reservation.
Reservation does not lead to a better selection process. It leads to a distorted and biased selection process. Promoting women through reservation policies may result in the selection of below par candidates for high posts. This can lead to a huge problem if women have to succeed on their own merit as well. Promotion policies should not use reservation as a means of displacing men from high posts. The aim instead should be to empower women so that they can become confident enough to apply and get selected for the high level jobs. Women should also be provided special skills and training so that people can become aware that the ladies deserve to be at high posts.
Conclusion
Reservation is not the solution for women empowerment and women’s emancipation. The aim should instead be on making women skilled enough so that they can be selected for the top level posts. An attempt should also be made to make the promotion policy and procedure free from gender bias. Reservation is not the solution for resolving gender inequity. Women empowerment is the right solution for this problem.
