“No no. Please staff only boys on the project,” I heard someone say behind my back. Curiosity piqued, if only spiked with a tinge of irritation, I decided to politely listen in on the conversation (no, not eavesdropping and all ok, it was happening right in the middle of the office).
“Yaar. That project will have lot of late nights. Given how things are in Delhi and Gurgaon now, I don’t want to risk any girl’s safety,” the person continued. This was early 2010s, when Delhi was burning with breaking news after breaking news of women’s safety, rather, the lack of it.
Like the perfectly “rational” move it was, everyone was focused on ensuring that girls went home before dark, rather than figuring out how to rein the boys in. We were already hearing about how stores in malls were wary of employing girls because “Boss, too much stress”.
That’s exactly what was playing out here too.
To be honest, I couldn’t do much about it. Except tell that person the next time we went for tea, that it was wrong. They said, “Yeah, I understand. But, what option do I have?”
“That client is too aggressive, let’s not staff women on that project.” “No girls in the manufacturing plant ok.” “Program management role! Let’s find a girl to put in there.”
How often do we see this play around us, typecasting people basis their gender to job roles and projects, under the guise of “practicality”? Isn’t it as wrong as telling a five year old child, “Boys don’t cry” or expecting a ten year old child to “make roti because you are a girl”?
Will it help if we had equal gender representation at all levels at work? Will it help if we all decided to look beyond taking the easy way out, even if it means short term cost spikes and disruptions? Will it help if we truly believed that many characteristics and traits aren’t specific to just one gender?
On this complicated topic, I only come bearing questions, with nary a resolution in sight.
Do you have any answers, observations or anecdotes you would like to share?
P. S. Views strictly personal. Post doesn’t refer to any organisation that I am currently associated with.