TRYING TWICE AS HARD

Do companies subconsciously enforce higher work standards on women professionals, compelling them to work doubly hard to receive comparable approval as their male peers?

- PRANITA BHOSALE

Charlotte Whitton was quite a trailblazer in Ottawa during the 1950s. She was the first female mayor of a major Canadian city, overcoming several odds, which once made her remark, “Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.”

Things have changed dramatically in the past 70 years. Women have risen to several positions of power across industries.

However, despite gaining much ground, there exists a perception that they have to work harder as compared to their male peers. Singer Dua Lipa recently admitted that female artists are often forced to work “twice as hard” if they ever want to be “taken seriously” within Hollywood.

Sita Lekshmi, General Manager of ibis Kochi City Centre, however, feels that the hospitality industry is well-tempered from these gender issues. In a career spanning almost 14 years in the industry, she never felt the need to give evidence of her work competence, merely on basis of her womanhood.

At the same time, she does not deny the possibility that during the selection process, some job roles could look at a woman having to give proof of competence with history and data. “Relating gender to the designation or job description is commonly seen even today. However, conscious efforts are being made by most companies to transform this thought process,” she pointed out.

PROVING THEIR WORTH

In a recent study, sociologists Elizabeth Gorman of the University of Virginia and Julie Kmec of Washington State University tried to understand whether women were subjected to stricter work performance standards, sometimes subconsciously. They compared data between men and women holding the same job with similar education and skills while shouldering the same burdens at home.