REDEFINING POWER PERCEPTIONS

Giving women a seat at the table displays a company’s gender-inclusive approach, even while it stands to benefit from their soft power in business

- VINITA BHATIA

The pandemic has slammed the brakes on corporate India’s slow march towards gender diversity, equality and inclusivity. A recent McKinsey analysis showed that women’s jobs are 1.8 times more susceptible to falling prey this crisis than those of men.

While women make up 39% of global employment, they accounted for 54% of overall job losses as of May 2020. The report also cautioned that if immediate actions were not taken to reverse this backsliding effect, the global GDP growth could be $1 trillion lower in 2030 than if women’s unemployment ran parallel to that of men in each sector.

Interestingly, Goal 5 of the ‘UN Sustainable Development Goals’ aims at gender equality. Amruda Nair, Founder, Araiya Hotels and Resorts tells Vinita Bhatia that the Indian hospitality sector is well poised to achieve this milestone. The reason? The country already has a number of women entrepreneurs leading hospitality companies.

Moreover, several female general managers, revenue managers, sales heads and even chief engineers are managing hotels in the country. So, while top brands in India’s hospitality sector have demonstrated that they are torchbearers for gender inclusivity, there exists scope to ensure more women-balanced teams across the spectrum.

Is there any reason behind the low percentage of well-educated women entering India’s hospitality workforce?

I do not find a difference in the education levels between men and women entering the hospitality workforce. Instead, I believe the reluctance is primarily due to the working hours in the industry. This is usually extends beyond the regular 9 to 5 job, and includes working during weekends and holidays, which are the busiest times for hotels and restaurants.