Dear God
With all these admirable measures
taken about Gender Sensitivity, Inclusiveness and Prevention of Sexual Harassment
of women at their workplace, things are looking up for sure. Now the womenfolk
can balance work and home in a more effective manner and stay safe. But what
about their emotional safety? What about decision making power, what about valuing
her opinion? What about accepting that she can manage her assignments effectively
and independently. Why is it difficult for a skilled and accomplished women to
showcase her efforts? Why are people simply undermining her efforts, negating
her contributions, and overriding her judgement with some of their own? Why in
an office meeting, a woman if present is constantly organizing snacks, ordering
lunch, asking for preferences when the men around her are engaged in spirited discussions
about the topic. Why is her every move under a scanner all the time.
Why is she supposed to arrange
the aesthetics around her workplace… like its not enough that she must keep her
home spick and span, she must come to the workplace and get it sorted to look
like some elite class country club…. When office maintenance is going on, her
room is deliberately left out Despite repeated reminders. Why there are no
adequate washrooms for her? Why she must run home every time she needs to pee?
Why is someone’s jealousy and
insecurity obstructing her path in so many ways? Why is she feeling that she is
constantly not being heard? Why is she being labelled difficult if she refuses
to behave like your secretary …. Why is it that when she is asked to send an
email, she sits on her desk and does it. Why is it that when you are asked to
send one, you call the staff and dictate? Why is it that you expect her to take
the dictation? Why is all the drafting been done by her and you are just
showcasing everything as if it was your own work? Why is the door of the higher
authority locked for her and you can simply walk in? Why is it that you enter a
shouting match with your boss and can walk out without a scar while she must
soften her refusal and lay it down gently. Then too she is having a hard time
convincing the boss.
Why is it that you have mismanaged
your assignments since quite some time now and all that ruin is evident in the
shoddy situation at the office. Yet you are the sataya hua person. When
she misses a deadline, she is immediately labelled incompetent and careless. Why
is it that you spread all kind of rumours about her and people believe you. Yet
when she voices the facts, no one is listening.
We have come far in terms of
including women in the workplace but the truth is that we have simply given her
a place to work. But the security and nurturing for her to thrive is still
missing. Sometimes she has great potential but she is labelled as some arrogant
bitch. She might be the sweetest of souls but people must know her at a
personal level to believe that.
She must constantly be on her
guard, looking over her shoulders for your next move. While you every time
stoop to new levels of all kinds of low (the latest being trying to intimidate
her by calling her at odd hours in your corner office). Yes, I know, you have
not made the move yet… but you are just testing the water. If I do not object
to your hand on my shoulders right now, the next thing I know your hands will
slide down…
I cannot wait for you to do that;
this is my place of work not a brothel. I will stay safe and I will keep those
around me safe from you. If you cannot handle someone more skilled than you, thats
your problem not mine. Now when you see me, I will look into your eyes and
openly call out your false claims of me being exceptionally arrogant with you.
Hang on mister!
PS: It takes more than threats
and subtle digs at my conduct to break my confidence… try harder!!
