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IWD IV: Travel industry should focus on eliminating the huge gender gap at the executive level: Sukanya Chakraborty, Head – Corporate Communications & CSR

Sukanya Chakraborty, Head – Corporate Communications & CSR says that the access to some of the most basic requirements remain limited for women. Stories of rising domestic violence, the struggle of balancing life and work with little to no support only reiterate the discrimination that women continue to face even within their own homes, she opines.

How important is IWD for you and why?

We’ve come a long way on the road towards true gender equality but still have miles to go on gender equity. While women all over the world participate in all aspects of society, yet some issues have a greater impact on women than others. From the right to vote, reproductive rights to the gender pay gap, sexism can still be found. It may be less obvious than it formerly was, but it can be found in many aspects of society, from education to workplace to the media and politics.

Therefore, a day like International Women’s Day becomes important – it recognises obstacles, raises awareness of women’s rights and gender equity while celebrating women’s accomplishments, each year IWD brings with itself the hope of a world without inequality and inequity.

Do you really think that women, in a fast-changing technology and modern age, need empowerment? How did you develop confidence in yourself?

Yes, even in the 21st century, while technology has made great progress, the access to some of the most basic requirements remain limited for women. Unequal access to education and job opportunities, gender-based violence and gender inequality are just some of the many issues faced by women around the world.

The covid 19 pandemic for instance was a great time for technological acceleration for the world but continued to remain a period of hardship for many women around the world. Stories of rising domestic violence, the struggle of balancing life and work with little to no support only reiterate the discrimination that women continue to face even within their own homes.

My source of confidence comes from the work I do. Getting up every day with a vision of giving my firm the best motivates me to push my limits and achieve my goals. I always try to block any self-limiting thoughts or self-doubts that could hamper my growth and go forward with a positive and ‘can do’ mindset.

While women constitute 54% of the workforce in the global travel, tourism and hospitality industry. This percentage is abysmally low at the top level?

Considering the workforce stress, the travel industry should focus on eliminating the huge gender gap at the executive level and should come together to create more opportunities for women who want to pursue leadership roles in the industry.

At VFS Global, we hope to lead the way in terms of diversity and gender balance, with a female-to-male ratio of 58:42 at the end of 2021. Many important global mandates in the organisation are managed by women leaders, including legal, risk and compliance, taxation, ESG, quality and transformation, corporate communication, and regional operations in major international markets. Our aim for 2022 is to improve the ratio of women in leadership roles through measures such as customised leadership programs, mentorship and adoption of best practices. 

What sort of challenges do you face at the workplace as well as balancing work-family life?

My challenges are not different from my peers. The crux of the challenges is embedded in societal stereotypes against women. From one’s capabilities to our perspective, a section of society, albeit narrowing with greater awareness, continues to view women through a different lens. Such sceptics remain in all sections of your immediate world – workplace, professional fraternity, families and friend networks. The combined impacts often snowball into developing self-biases among women, which itself becomes the biggest obstacle as women begin to question their own abilities, set limits to themselves and cast a glass ceiling of their own. 

One school of thought suggests that women themselves are one of the hindrances in the growth of women. What is your take on this?

I do not believe that women are the hindrance in the growth of women but how people in general hamper their own growth and success by undermining their capabilities. So many young boys and girls these days do not believe that they can make a substantial difference in the world, and they will not participate in possibilities that are presented to them.

While we continue to address and work upon the external obstacles in our growth, it’s equally important to introspect ourselves and understand the reasons behind low self-esteem and what can be done to fix it.

What are your suggestions to the younger generation?

To become truly successful, one must always stay authentic to themselves and learn to celebrate their differences; it’s critical to maintain good faith and self-confidence. The higher you climb, the more pressure you’ll be under. It is critical that you begin to develop flexibility, adaptability, and resilience as soon as possible. Continue to maintain a positive attitude toward oneself and stop comparing your life to others.

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