STRESS, SUCCESS AND EVERYTHING IN-BETWEEN
The Highs and Lows of A Woman’s Journey in the Corporate World
ADAPTING TO THE MALE-DOMINANT ENVIRONMENT (1972)
CARE: This is Chapter 11 of my book Stress, Success and Everything In-Between. These are individual anecdotes but to understand the professional journey in totality, I would recommend reading the book from Chapter 01 onwards.
After
a rigorous five-week Induction Training Programme at the Mahanagar Staff
Training Centre in Lucknow, it was time for on-the-job training, and all 32 new
entrants were posted to different branches. Four of us, one male and three
female officers, were sent for the hands-on training of six months to Lucknow
Main Branch, the largest branch of the Circle, bustling with a high level of
activity and having over one hundred employees.
 |
| My First Branch |
We reported at the branch
on the 27th of December 1971 and witnessed the annual closing exercise for the
first time. The annual closing of the banks those days was conducted on the
last day of the year, the 31st of December, and it was exciting to work till
midnight and see never-ending queues at the Government section.
Subsequently, we
were assigned to various sections by rotation to clear the pending mess
as the concerned employees did not complete their jobs, and the supervisors did not have the gall to
tell them to finish them. Working tirelessly in various sections, we learned to
work hard.
We
often wondered why the employees did not complete their assigned jobs and why
the supervisors refrained from pointing it out to them. We soon learned that
the trade union in the Bank was powerful and hostile, and the industrial
relations climate was strained. We were enlightened in hushed tones that in the
recent past, the staff union had forced the Head of the Branch to seek a public
apology for some of his legitimate actions in front of all the employees in the
main banking hall. To add insult to injury, they asked him to say sorry again
by standing on a stool. The union leader's alibi was that he was short and not
visible to all the employees when he apologised. The natural outcome of this
repulsive incident was that the officers were scared of pointing out anything
to the clerical staff, even if they did not complete their duties, which was
almost daily. I recalled nostalgically what my friend Neeta's fiancé' said
about his branch only three months ago.
The positive part of the
training was the daily morning interaction at 9.30am sharp with Mr. RN Dikshit,
Sub Agent, holding the second position in the branch where we received mature
guidance. The next was daily attendance in front of the Agent (now redesignated
as the Deputy General Manager), who inquired about what learning took place on
the previous day. During this daily session, the lone male probationer
attracted the sole attention of the top man, and the three of us, the females,
were invariably side-lined. He counselled him regularly, stressing the
importance of his career and the need to master the job knowledge earnestly.
The big boss advised him daily that he should be serious about his career and
take training earnestly because he was a man and had to climb the corporate ladder.
He would often add that these women were not likely to continue in the Bank
for long. After the speech of the Secretary and Treasurer on the inaugural day,
this was the second senior person who was insidiously undermining our career aspirations. The humiliation for the three of us was palpable, but we were unsure
how to respond to this mindset. We had no option but to smile wryly.
The supervising staff was generally good and took a
personal interest in our development. The clerical staff also demonstrated a
courteous demeanour to us as we were not in mutual conflict. But all this
while, we women were trying to adapt to a male-dominated environment. Our
senior male colleagues exhibited goodwill but did not know how to interact with
us. They often tried to be humorous, but their jokes were overtly
gender-biased, leaving us uncomfortable and awkward, looking on the sides.
Perhaps for them also, it was a unique experience to interact with women
colleagues. Till then, they had seen women in specific familial roles like
mother, sister, wife, daughter and aunt, where role relationships were
well-defined. The men-folk were also at a loss on how to relate to females who
did not belong to the familiar categories and where the role relationships were unclear.
Looking back, I can understand their psyche, but it was outrightly
uncomfortable those days.
An oft-repeated joke involved a comment typically written
in the Monthly Appraisal of Probationary Officers. A particular column in the
report was on how the officer was developing. While writing the monthly
appraisal, they would say that the officer was developing and shaping well,
moving a hand suggestively on their protruding bellies, accompanied by loaded
laughter. The insinuation was clear, and their amusement at the dual meaning
embedded in the phrase gave them kicks, albeit to our embarrassment. In those
days, referring to pregnancy in any manner was considered embarrassing, unlike
today, when pregnancy is a matter of pride and maternity photo-shoot is a big
business.
On one occasion, I was told with utmost seriousness,
"You ladies are now wedded to the Bank and should eschew the thought of
marrying an employed man. If marriage is inevitable, seek a match who is
employable but not employed. You must identify a man capable of handling the
household responsibilities while you dedicate yourself to the career. He should
possess the education required to accompany you to official gatherings, but he
must be unemployed." Despite his advice, I got engaged. I purposely chose
not to divulge this information at the office. However, spotting a glittering
ring on my third finger the next day, he questioned me seriously, "What's
this, an engagement ring? Are you engaged? Is he unemployed? Defying a senior's
direction might warrant disciplinary action against you." For many a day,
I grappled with the fear of my explanation being called as I had transgressed
service rules. In those days, women in the Indian Foreign Service were barred
from marrying, leading me to believe the same applied to our service rules.
Deciphering the subtleties of the male colleagues' humour
or navigating past their double-edged comments necessitated the adaptive skills
we were trying to acquire during this period.
Whispers and speculations about us also abounded. For
transportation, women in Lucknow usually opted for a man-pulled rickshaw.
However, I asserted my independence by riding a two-wheeler to the workplace.
My family was in Lucknow, and I often went around the city with two younger
brothers seated on the pillion of my scooter. This led to many speculations
regarding who these guys were. I was livid when I learned about it. But I tried
to exercise patience, discretion, and the wisdom to overlook these rumours. I
also realised that a rumour was often like smoke without the necessary fire.
All this created tremendous stress, but it was too early
for me to understand that it would take considerable time for both men and
women to reach mutual acceptance in the male-dominant workplace. Till then, I
had no option but to abide by the existing mindsets and grapple with the unease
of the male-dominated world I had consciously chosen to enter.
(To be continued.....)
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