Congratulating Womanhood on Women's Day

Disagreeing with a common saying that it's a man's world, well, its actually God's world which is on constant move. And, nothing moves, infact, nothing can move, without the participation and involvement of women. So it is absolutely not true that its a man's world. At SMEStreet we always focus on issues related to SMEs, micro & small businesses, startups and entrepreneurship as a whole. The reason why we focus on this sector is because of the fact that this sector holds prominence in the overall economy. And, the role of women is absolutely versatile, deeprooted and extremely dynamic in the  MSME, MSE, Startups and overall entrepreneurship sector.

So, firstly, we do not believe that this great role of women requires one day in a year to recognise the importance of women in the economy and entrepreneurship. The acknowledgement of women in the economy must be versatile.

Well, we have ample women entrepreneurship success stories and several women leaders around the world including India who have set examples of leadership ship.

But, we must not ignore the social facts which are loud enough for us to relook at our society from the perspective of gender equality. Although top metro cities and towns have a lot of examples of working women, women leaders and women in economic activity. But, if we move 20 kilometres from any main city we might see a different picture altogether. Even in the cities, we are ashamed of crime stories against women. There are several laws that have been designed to stop such crimes against women but in the actual scenario, we all are aware.

Crime against women does not only effect negatively the victim but takes the entire society back to square one. All our success stories related to women leadership gets into a doubtful mode when any crime is reported against women. So, one thing is sure, that only creating the law never going to be 100% effective in controlling this social evil. However, a perception change and a social change of outlook towards women are needed. This has to come to form the far end of society. Apart from raising such questions and moral points, we at SMEStreet are working on something mesurable on the issue of Women's role in nation-building through economic development. So, in nutshell, we will be talking about 'Women of Modern Workplaces'.

At SMEStreet Foundation, we invite suggestions and recommendations to create a structured approach toward the status of the role of women in workplaces and women leadership. We are working on a nationwide campaign where a set of parameters will decide workplace efficiency through women and for women. Obviously, we will focus on creating success stories of women-led startups by highlighting women leaders in the entrepreneurship domain. We have an ongoing activity SMEStreet GameChangers, in this, we will have a dedicated focus on women-led success stories.

For this, you may connect with our team for suggestions and recommendations here.

Women in Workplaces

Nikhil Arora, VP and MD, India, GoDaddy

"The conversation around gender disparity in the workplace continues to gain prominence in India this year. Even before the impacts from the current COVID-19 global pandemic, the number of women employees across sectors in India has been disproportionate. Some of the issues currently impacting women in India, such as: lack of women in leadership roles, gender pay gap, fewer women-led startups, unpaid care work, coupled with age-old social prejudices, leads to a significant impact on India’s socio-economic development. To help foster workplace gender equity, businesses should consider ways to reduce unconscious bias in HR processes, introduce new policies to encourage more women into the workforce, offer training and support for women, and prioritize providing a safer, more conducive environment for women at work. GoDaddy is an inviting place for women to work and an industry leader for women in technology. Our 2020 diversity report shows that women represent 30% of GoDaddy's global workforce. While there is more to do, we are actively working on creating an ecosystem that provides equal opportunities, rights, and benefits for women in their path towards achieving success and equality," commented Mr. Nikhil Arora, MD and VP, GoDaddy India.

Women Entrepreneurship During COVID-19 Pandemic

“During the pandemic, the world witnessed that countries which had women in the leadership positions were in a much better shape than the rest. Women have time and again proven that they are focused on continuously finding solutions for challenging situations. The world wants change and this could definitely be a century where equality can be established in every field. A big example that showcased a country breaking the etch was when Kamala Harris became the first woman Vice President of the United States. It is key that in this post pandemic world, we not only identify but accept the problems of patriarchy. We need a more humane and rational approach. Most importantly women always believe in working in a sort of comradeship. Be it healthcare, hospitality, politicians, innovators, women have been front liners. It is time we must discard the gender stereotypes, empower and let women take the lead towards this unrivaled gridlock. As Michelle Obama says, “there is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” Wishing All Women a Happy Women’s Day. May you all continue to be strong, and keep your heels and head high!” informed Jyotsna Uttamchandani, Executive Director, Syska Group

Women in Tech

“2021 brought in the good news with a woman-led tech company going IPO. This success story was celebrated and ushers in a new age in the post covid world where we are all rooting for more women in leadership roles across the board. Less than 10% of the S&P 500 companies have a woman CEO but that number should grow rapidly in the coming times. And this will happen by changing mindsets at a cultural level by encouraging more young women to pursue their dreams. Technology and the internet is a great leveller because it gives access to a sea of knowledge and anyone can start a business from anywhere! At LogiNext, we have a special push to achieve a 50:50 gender ratio by the end of 2021 and we already have several women in leadership roles across the organisation. LogiNext is probably one of the most diverse high growth start up globally and we'd like to encourage more and more companies to take this route," said Manisha Raisinghani, Co-founder and CTO, LogiNext

 Women in Education

“For me gender equality means truly being equal. Neither men or women are superior. It means that we need more men as teachers, it means raising my son to do household chores and respecting a woman who may be more successful than him in the future. I choose to challenge the belief that working women are not good mothers or good daughters. I want to challenge people who look at compassion and empathy in women as their weakness. Because they are actually their strengths. At the Aditya Birla Education Trust, we have several women in the leadership team. We hope that we can inspire other women that they too can lead," stated, Surabhi Goel, CEO - Aditya Birla World Academy, Aditya Birla Education Academy & The Aditya Birla Integrated School