It’s Fear that Holds Back Women
Their advice: Go
where you are banned, be blind and deaf to detractors
Three women from the other side of India’s borders
came together on one platform to share how they broke the glass ceilings in
their countries to reach a positions of power in politics, media and fashion.
Among them, one almost took a gun from the Taliban,
while another battled the stubborn reluctance of her male colleagues to accept
her as the head of her organisation.
On Friday, Fawzia Koofi, a member of Parliament in
Afghanistan; Sarah Ali, CEO of Bangladesh’s Bitopi Advertising and Otara
Gunewardene, who founded Sri Lankan retail company Odel, fired up The Economic
Times Women’s Forum with their experience on beating gender bias in their
countries.
Koofi is the 19th of her parents’ 20 children. When
she was born, her mother, who wanted a son, left her to die in the Sun, but
later decided to let her live. She is now the only woman in the lower house of
Afghan Parliament. “When I was five I saw a woman giving speech on TV, and I
was really shocked to realise that women are allowed to talk and men are even listening
to her,” said Koofi. That lady was former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,
and that was when she decided she wanted to be a politician.
Koofi, who was recently appointed to lead the Geneva
Human Rights Commission, said women should set their goals for the future to
achieve their full rights, and enter those spaces where they have been
traditionally kept out. Politics is one of them. “India should pass the
reservation Bill for women in Parliament. We women should enter those spaces
which have a red line drawn for us,” she said.
Ali’s story should provide confidence to women wary
of taking the plunge into business. It took years for the male colleagues to
take her seriously, because they were not used to having a woman leading them.
The chief executive of Bangladesh’s Bitopi Advertising, Sarah inherited the
position from her father. But it was hard for her to gain acceptance.
“I had to work doubly hard to prove myself,” Sarah
said. Under her leadership, Bitopi today has become a leading agency in Bangladesh.
Her advice to women battling the career ladder is simple: Be blind and deaf to
the detractors and focus on your goal.
Finally, the session on Gender Benders from India’s
neighbours had Gunewardene, the modelturned-entrepreneur who founded fashion
chain Odel.
The reason for women to hold back their dreams and
aspirations often is fear, she said. “I really wanted to do something in
retail, I was afraid a bit initially but I overcame it.” After selling the
company, she now spends her time with animal welfare, her second passion.
Divya.Rajagopal
ET19MAR18
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