A few weeks ago, there was a lively discussion in Mumbai on “Can Indian Women Have it All?” The panelists were columnists and authors Manu Joseph and Shobhaa Dé, Tata Starbucks Limited CEO Avani Davda, author Ira Trivedi and Bloomberg TV’s executive editor Mini Menon, who discussed women in modern India, particularly the societal pressures they face and how those conflict with the pursuit of their personal and professional ambitions.
Shobhaa Dé examined whether or not “all” is really worth having for any woman. Mini Menon and Avani Davda agreed that every woman must define “all” for herself and set her expectations right. Menon further added that women have to fight for the choice of what they want to do and how they want to do it, whereas Dé and Davda agreed that whatever route a woman takes to achieve the goals that she has set for herself is what is right for her.
The panelists opined that women in India are going through a transitional period. Although increasing numbers of Indian women are becoming empowered and have successful careers, many are still grounded in older values and feel that they must continue to be good daughters, wives and mothers. All of the speakers agreed on the importance of support from companies and families alike in allowing for greater economic participation of women.
On the issue of whether or not women are necessarily worse off than men, Trivedi highlighted how men also face pressure to be aggressive in pursuit of their workplace goals while also being softhearted and engaged at home. Menon suggested that the support that women receive from their families gives them more choices than men, while Dé pointed out that these choices come at the cost of mental, physical and emotional health. Davda, however, believes that the changes that a woman goes through over the course of her life actually make her mentally and physically stronger than two men put together.
The evening ended with questions from a large and engaged audience, on topics ranging from sexuality, love and passion, to biology to stress and pressure to generational changes within support systems.
The weblink in the first sentence includes a video recording of the session.
