Rajul Parikh Director Alfaa UV , Gender equality at the workplace.

Your perception of gender equality at the workplace.
Equal pay for equal jobs. Not discriminating on the basis of gender.

Major challenges faced by women at the management and Board level.
Women are still in minority when it comes to seats on the Board or in senior management positions. However, in lieu of their being in minority, they can add tremendous value to the Board by virtue of diversity they bring in. In senior positions, amount of time devoted to work and travel may vary from woman to woman, depending on her circumstances. While handling men, who are fundamentally different, some women face challenges. But women are naturally deft at handling people and are born with a set of soft skills. Every challenge has an opportunity attached to it.

How do you rate gender equality in Indian Society?
The work scenario and culture, especially in urban India seems to have matured over the years to create a greater degree of balance between the sexes. On the one hand, high costs of living are driving both men and women to take up jobs. On the other side, more and more women are getting professionally qualified to handle jobs which were mainly reserved for men, and are training themselves to take up jobs in fields such as aviation and hospitality which employ large numbers of female in the workforce .With the infusion of  greater numbers of women in the workforce, there is likely to be greater gender equality. In my view, things are moving in the right direction and there is a fair degree of gender equality in the workplace.

CSR agenda and challenges for female labourers.
I don’t belong directly to the construction industry but have been witness to the hard life that a women construction labourer has to face. Long and tough working days, no proper supervision of her children, challenges with safe food, sanitation and drinking water are basic issues. Construction companies can begin CSR activities like provision of crèches, primary education, better housing and sanitation facilities, to create a more hygienic and safe environment for women labourers and her family.

Any other comments you would like to make.
Indian Goddesses such as Durga, Kali , Saraswati and Laxmi are worshiped for some tremendous strengths that they represent , e.g. fearlessness , power , wisdom and abundance . In the same way, women are representatives of these characteristics and these virtues need to find expression in the workplace. With the right attitudes, women can definitely unleash their potential to offer those attributes which will help in creating a holistic balance between the sexes in the workplace.