Women's Networks... really the need of the hour??

A recent press release talked about a company celebrating diversity & inclusiveness and how as part of this effort, its women’s network is organising events in different cities around the country. 
Diversity & inclusiveness on the same page as women’s network? Isn’t this defeating the very purpose of treating women any different than male employees? Promoting a women’s-only network, is segregating women into a club, making them stand out rather than blend in. 

What can the network offer that can’t be accessed without? If pubs and bars that exclude women are offensive then aren’t women’s network the other side of the same coin? 

At a healthcare global major’s women’s network meet recently, Vinita Bali, CEO, Britannia Industries voiced her displeasure quite explicitly, asking working women not to expect to be treated any differently than men. In doing that, women are already setting the tone for a differential treatment, which eventually leads to them becoming victims of various stereotypes in the workplace. 
Nirmala, you would have graced many such women’s events in the various MNCs you work with. What are your thoughts on the need for such networks?

Increasing trends towards Western wear - a sign of empowered women ?

Retailers have recently noted the trend towards wearing more western attire. This may have stemmed from the fact that school uniforms, which people have spent a good decade or so of their lives in, are mostly of the western style. Whatever the reason, the fact is that now, the inclination towards purchasing western wear is growing at a faster pace than Indian wear. Could this be due to growing empowerment of women who now choose comfort and practicality over traditional attire that the previous generation was expected to wear without a second thought?

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Whose concern is it?

The article “Let Us Continue Work in Bar, Say 3 Women” in the July 8^th issue of The Times of India talks about how these 3 women have petitioned to let them continue working as bar stewards. Now, safety of employees, according to the law, is the responsibility of their employer. So how does the government, being the upholder of the law, have the right to suddenly decide that women can work at five- star hotels but not bars? Especially when the women themselves say that accommodation and safe transportation have, in fact, been given to them by their employer.

On one hand, the government claims to have the safety of these women in mind while on the other hand, it has unfairly pushed them out of this space of employment while they want to continue working in it.

Should there be a line that the government should not cross, between ‘protective’ and ‘stifling’? Or should the women be grateful that someone finally has their welfare in mind?

Women Leaders = $$$!!??!

Some research suggests that companies with a high number of female managers and directors outperform the average market performance.

This led Nuissance Capital (a Swiss-based investment company) to initiate a “Womens Leadership Fund” – an Investment fund investing only in companies with a high number of women in leading positions.

Interesting approach that shows that equality is not all about “being nice to disadvantaged” but actually paying off financially! ;-) (though, the fund will have to prove to be a above-average performing one)

Want to invest? Or just know more? Have a look:
http://www.naissancecapital.com/NC/?id=35


--- by Nils ---

Grounded

In ski jumping, one major challenge is to jump a long distance.

The distance women will have to cover to get equal access to the winter Olympics in ski jumping, has been enlarged by the International Olympic Committee in 2006: The IOC rejected the establishment of women’s ski jumping at the Olympic Games in Vancouver next year due to technical reasons.

Ski jumping and Nordic combined (a combination of ski jumping and cross country skiing) are the only winter Olympics sports that are reserved for men.

The main reason being that the amount of organized women ski jumpers does not reach the IOC’s minimum requirement (rule 47 of the Olympic Charter), the IOC failed to explain one interesting point: The number of organized men ski jumpers also fails to reach the minimum requirement, but for men there has been an exception to this rule for decades.

After the IOC’s decision, some female ski jumpers from several countries brought the case to the supreme court of British Columbia, the Canadian state hosting the Olympics. The court ruled that "the plaintiffs will be denied this opportunity for no reason other than their sex," but the IOC was not subject to the jurisdiction of the British Columbia Supreme Court.

The International Ski Federation has re-proposed to the IOC to include women’s ski jumping on the program of the winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi.  Let’s hope the distance women ski jumpers have to cover to get equal access to the Olympic Games won’t be longer than that!

--- by Nils ---