The Session was a discussion on mental health awareness by Dr. Samir Parikh, an eminent psychiatrist who gave insight into the need & significance that all of us need to look at & change our perspective. Dr. Samir Parikh urged the audience present that learning more about mental health allows us to provide helpful support to those affected in our families & communities. The session proved to be very educational & informative.
Men are working, women are working, and women are working more. The proportion of women in bastion like engineering, army and other women were negligible 20 years ago. Now it has increased to around 5% to 6%, which, I think, is not much. There was always a postman but not a postwoman. It's embedded in our minds. For a long time, bus drivers, truck drivers, train drivers were men, and still, they are women who found their place in these sectors but still, it's not satisfactory. The idea is to make the environment more women-friendly to find their way through.
So the discussion began with the fact that in the pre-21st century era, women were expected to only be in the kitchen and take care of all the household responsibilities. This was the scenario in almost every corner of the globe. But now that after two decades of the 21st Century, has the perspective changed? The speakers added to the discussion by sharing their thoughts & experiences that a woman starts experiencing gender inequality more often as and when they move up the corporate ladder, especially when it comes to getting a seat on the board. Rashima Verma added that women constitute only 5% of the members in the boardrooms. Rupangi Sharma added that taps need to be taken to bridge the gender gap in the workforce at all levels in an organisation. Companies need to proactively hire and promote women into senior management positions whenever they are deserving. The overall discussion was beautifully moderated by Piorre Hart & the audience comprised of men folks added with discussion on concerns like paternity leaves