To B or not to B

Name: Manisha Trivedi; Age: 37 years; Educational Qualification: PG diploma in finance; College/University: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A); Occupation: Housewife.
As startling as this resume may seem, it is the reality of scores of women who step out of India’s finest ‘B’ schools or IITs each year. The IIT/IIM brand notwithstanding, many women once part of the blue-eyed brat pack commanding fat pay packets have given their corporate dream run a burial in order to nurture families. A new-born child, ailing parents/in-laws or a globe-trotting husband are some of the personal reasons that they fill in their exit interview forms. Within minutes, the lofty degree they burnt the midnight oil over is history.
Manisha’s (name changed) dream run came to an end in 2006 when she stepped down from her position at UNESCO to take care of her aging in-laws and two toddlers. Though this was not where she had imagined herself to be six years after graduating from the prestigious IIM-A, Manisha had to make this choice. First a senior banker and then a successful NGO executive, the 37-year-old is now a full-time mother while the rest of her batchmates are leap years ahead of her, professionally. “I was initially very comfortable with my decision. But now I regret it. I almost feel that I do not have a life of my own,” said the Delhi-based IIM-A (2000) alumnus. But then, she isn’t the only ‘drop out’.
Consider this. Batch of 2001 IIT-Kanpur: Of the 11 women who completed their course successfully, at least four have either quit or opted for low profile, less demanding jobs. Reason? Family bindings. This, after racing up the corporate ladder on par with their male colleagues/batchmates for a good six-eight years.
“I was project manager with Honeywell when I decided to step down,” said Anupama Singh, a student of this batch. With a just-born daughter at home, she thought it best to turn entrepreneur so that she could spend more time with the little one. “I can now take a vacation with my child whenever I want to. And that is very important,” Anupama says. Besides, it also gives her techie husband the freedom to be at work for a few extra hours, she admits. “He (husband) cannot take care of the child the way I can. So my being around in the house makes more sense,” Anupama, who has served in the industry for eight years, quickly adds.
On the same boat with her is Nandini Gopalan. About 12 years after being among the first few women to make it to IIM-Kozhikode, Nandini is now a devoted mother. That she bagged one of the best placements on campus (she was working with a reputed MNC in Mumbai) and soon soared in her career, thus outshining many of her male friends, is now a cherished sepia-tinted memory.
Analysts explain that it is these “social hindrances” that keep women away from even applying to these institutes. Even the brighter ones, they say, see this as an avoidable option. Statistics prove this claim: Only 15 per cent of the seats in IITs (across India) are filled by women aspirants. Though professors claim that there has been a marginal improvement over the last few years, the best men:women ratio, in some of the IIT branches, is still a low 1:10. “Until a decade ago this was 1:20 or even worse. But now, some women are showing interest,” said a senior professor of IIT-Kharagpur who has been serving at the institute for the last 38 years. He, however, added, “While all the women complete their courses successfully, some of their career graphs start taking a downturn soon. This is usually a post-marital phenomenon.”
Predictably then, when Padmaja Rao (name changed) was offered a director’s position in her company after she moved to the United States with her husband, she let the honour pass on to a male colleague. As, accepting the offer would mean a work schedule of at least 20 hours a day. “I was planning a second child then and I could not stay away from home for so long. It was just not feasible,” said this IIT-ian who passed out from Chennai in 1998. While Padmaja has rarely regretted this decision she took three years ago, she admits that the sight of a less-deserving candidate in the director’s seat does put her off at times. And then she can hear herself hum — ‘so near, yet so far’.
Padmaja’s story is one that many of her ‘juniors’ relate to. In fact they even claim that practically all women passouts from IIT are a step behind where they deserve to be, thanks to their life’s ‘FSRs’ (Family and Social Responsibilities). “I do not know a single friend who has not taken a sabbatical and lost out on hikes/promotions once they decided to have a child,” said Aditi Kant, a former M Tech student of IIT-Delhi. As a result, Aditi, a manager-level executive with the software firm Geodesic Limited, says that the career conscious are now referring to their ‘appraisal calenders’ before planning a family.
“Women expecting a promotion are waiting for it to come through before planning a pregnancy. This is to ensure that they do not lose out too much professionally,” Aditi said adding, “Anyway, the increments for the year (when one delivers) is lost so nobody wants to suffer further damages.” Sharing how she too would be on the same side of the fence soon, the IITian says she is in ‘preparation mode’ already. In fact, when she does so it would be her second big career decision post marriage. The first was when she quit her jet-setting job about seven months ago.
“The job involved a lot of travelling and as my husband also travels extensively, we never got the time to catch up. Now, with me staying at home a little more, we at least get the weekends together,” she said. That it was a bigger brand she had bid adieu to, is something Aditi prefers not to discuss.
However, analysts seem to believe that it is these ‘duties’ of women that keep many employers away from appointing them to managerial positions, despite their qualifications and abilities. “It is unfortunate but gender bias does exist in many corporate offices. Unsure whether women can devote enough time to work alongside running a family they choose to keep them removed from the top positions,” said a female faculty of IIM adding, “This discrimination drives many women to give up on their lucrative careers as they see no scope for growth. They drop out citing family problems as a reason.”
But amidst such negativity, some emerge as torch bearers of optimism and pride. Having had a ‘rocking’ career graph themselves, they claim that women from these institutes have earned more accolades in the corporate world than their male counterparts. Social callings notwithstanding, the women have soared in their respective fields, much like the men. “I personally think I am doing as well or even better than my male batchmates,” said Prachi Srivastava Biswas, a Research and Development engineer with Synopsys. After passing out from IIT-Mumbai in 2001, Prachi’s career graph has shot over the last nine years. “And this is true of most of my female friends from IIT,” she claims. The sky and nothing but the sky is her limit.