Breaking the glass ceiling and shattering stereotypes – lessons to learn from women entrepreneurs

Established entrepreneurs Upasana Taku and Shradha Sharma sit down with Vogue India to discuss the effect of stereotyped convictions in corporate reality, the existence of gender disparity, and the steps needed to support and sustain women in the world of work for the long haul

Equality. It’s easy to think of this word as the purview of an equitable tomorrow. The timeless truth, paradoxically, is that this word has long shouldered the bulk of age-old narratives written in favour of men. The result? Biassed standards and cultures that made the idea of professional or personal success for women seem like a futile aspiration. And if history reigns as the cover story, the pages of wonderment over women’s worth outside of home, the dilemma of allowing them to have a career, and the overwhelmingly idolatrous belief that only men can be money-makers are all facets of the frivolous world we were all living in. 

As the saying goes, the past is to learn from; and that we have. Today, women are making headlines, breaking barriers, and swearing by the go-getter attitude. However, this liberated mindset still doesn’t offer the freedom to dream big, and the statistics glaringly prove it: men are 42% more likely to be promoted to leadership positions than women in India, according to LinkedIn’s recent gender research insights. For example, while India’s working women feature more prominently in Education (39%) and Corporate Services (34%), their representation in leadership still stands at 30% and 23% respectively. Evidently, as the corporate ladder rises, the number of women leaders dwindle, implying there is a dearth of female role models to look up to. 

To comprehend a journey unequivocally personal yet an experience entirely universal, we spoke to two entrepreneurs about what it takes to be a woman in the world of work. These are the leaders of today who have changed the narrative, shattered the rungs of male-dominated ladders, and built platforms that implore women to hustle with fortitude. While Upasana Taku, Co-Founder of MobiKwik may marvel you with her success, admirable is her unfettered passion and humble approach to being a change-maker, no matter what comes her way. And then there is Shradha Sharma, Founder of YourStory, giving us everyday reminders that our voice, vision, and vivacity matter. 

The unseen barriers 

For women, the curveballs aren’t just limited to a lack of opportunities; it’s the lack of intention that results in their arduous career path which is otherwise free of societal constraints for their male counterparts. “When I was born, there were tears. Not the happy kind. It wasn’t easy being the third child in a family of four daughters. Women, from the time they take birth, have been considered a liability for centuries. Now, you can either wish for change, or be the change. I chose the latter when I took the train from Patna, my hometown, with just one mission in mind: to make a name for myself. Why? Like Maya Angelou says, ‘Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women’ – a phrase that always inspires me to not just wish for better, but to be better,” shares Sharma.  

While discussing the existence of gender disparity at workplaces, it’s imperative to first consider the root causes. Growing up, women are more often than not told how to sit, how to talk, how to live. Emphasising on the effect of labelling, Taku says “My sister and I grew up in a well-educated Kashmiri Pandit family; we were encouraged to chase our dreams and go anywhere in the world for the best education and career prospects. So, it came as a big shock to me when my family vehemently opposed me giving up my green card and cushy American life to relocate back to India to establish a Startup. It was the first time I realised that while financially independent girls were an acceptable norm in my family; taking risks to start a business was the tipping point at which their biases became apparent. There’s this ingrained perception within people of who qualifies as a woman, and it baffles me that society has gotten away with limiting an entire gender to a small checkbox. And this inherent view reflects everywhere, especially in the workplace where women acting outside of the sweet and docile nature are often faced with a flabbergasted exclamation of ‘how did she!’ by others.”

Apart from this, there’s also the confused gazes and doubtful glances that women deal with on a regular basis, especially when they undertake what is usually considered a man’s role. “Since the onset of MobiKwik, the finance department had been reporting to me until very recently. There was an occasion where we had to visit a government department to resolve their queries and my presence was a no-brainer. But, after the small-talk was over, I was asked to get the company’s director (read: male director) along, to which I simply smiled and gave a straightforward answer – ‘The other director doesn’t know the t of tax.’ I gave the said officer two options – either I go back and teach my co-founder about all there is to know about the subject, or we have a conversation and sort out what needs to be done. End of the day, I had my way but I learnt a lot about how unconscious bias comes into play simply because of what people are taught and shown growing up,” shares Taku. 

Meanwhile, Sharma believes that the lack of frameworks for women is equally to blame. “Growing up, I could count the number of female leaders on my fingers. The status quo has always been a boys club and because no one was used to seeing women take up leadership roles, the roadmap to success didn’t even exist for us women. So whatever we did was like shooting arrows in the dark, hoping it lands somewhere for others to follow. The situation has become better now, but acceptance is something that still doesn’t come easily, which is why I strongly believe that if you have the competence to not just bag a seat at the table, but create an entirely new one, then do whatever it takes to get more women on-board, because trust me, women are extraordinary. All that is needed is a chance.”

“Create one woman leader, and you pave the way for an entire generation of young girls to follow”

Courtesy of the new crop of creators, the workplace as we know is changing. Women are tipping the scales in a system that has been stacked against them since the beginning and are coming together to forge new spaces for themselves after years of being told that there’s only one seat at the table. In India, the share of female founders has grown by 2.68x between 2016 to 2021 as compared to the share of male founders which grew only 1.79x during the same period. Festooned with the spirit of entrepreneurship, these are individuals who are inspiring one and all to stop living in imitation of society’s ideals. How are they doing that? By walking the talk and setting credible benchmarks while doing so. And their views on how to truly take transformative strides towards an all-embracing workplace are equally astute. 

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“Companies chase after ratios. And this approach puts real issues on the back-burner. The first step should be making yourself open to different views and voices. That’s how you begin to address the gap. Talk about realistic goals and obstacles, ensure that the work culture normalises women leading both professional and personal lives. While you’re at it, ask yourself what you can do to make her work life more balanced and actively help her grow professionally. All in all, be transparent and authentic. Because pretension shows. If you ask me, the future belongs to women. And by creating a woman leader, you will pave the way for an entire generation of young girls to follow,” says Sharma. 

Reflecting on the need for going beyond generic policies that are just shop-talk, Taku says, “In today’s world, being empathetic and understanding of a person’s background is pivotal. It’s easy to be cut-throat, what’s difficult (and rewarding!) is to be flexible and create workspaces where an employee feels welcomed. Craft hiring policies that actively call out women to take up leadership roles, not just entry-level positions. It’s pretty uncomplicated –  interview more women, hire more women, retain more women and promote more women. We’re doing it so why can’t you? Even more important is educating the men in your organisation as well, along with giving them equal flexibility and encouragement to take charge of their family life – be it taking care of the kids, spending time with parents or simply being responsible for household chores.”

Conclusively, taking on the beaten path and implementing equivocal policies is not the road towards workplace meritocracy. Changing things from the ground up is. After all, what is diversity without inclusion, acceptance without acknowledgement, and progress without change? As for all women out there, Taku has two things to say – “don’t let guilt of any kind rule you and your choices, and second, be the person you needed when you were younger.”

So, equality, dear readers, is not a lesson to be learned, not a term to be unravelled; rather a pragmatic belief to be harnessed. While a paradigm shift doesn’t happen overnight, it’s the little steps that will compel conscious effort to redefine the antiquated perceptions that have been etched into our mindset. And, thought by thought, choice by choice, action by action; we have the power to create a new world of work – one that honours women, their resilience, and their talent.

Article Credits: Vogue