'Women should speak up for their rights'

Women should learn to negotiate with their families, sensitise their colleagues and speak up for their rights, a women's rights expert said Monday.

Bringing up popular dilemmas faced by women, Usha Ananthasubramanian, chairperson and managing director of the Bharatiya Mahila Bank said a woman needs to be a continuous learner.

The bank has been set up with an initial paid-up capital of Rs.1,000 crore. Led by Ananthasubramanian, all the eight board of directors of the bank are women.

"Whether it is about fighting daily issues and challenges or choosing between career and family or dealing with office promotions and sacrifices, issues are endless and it requires the right demeanour and confidence to face such kind of situations in life," Ananthasubramanian said.

She was speaking at a seminar "Effective Women's Leadership - Issues and Challenges", at the International Management Institute (IMI) here.

Asha Bhandarker, distinguished professor, organisational behaviour and human resource, IMI, said: "Such kind of opinion-based and discussion-oriented platforms help surface many issues and challenges. It is, therefore, important to discuss and take prudent measures that can create a healthy eco-system in the society."