Speaker bats for gender policy for women employees

Batting for a gender policy for women employees, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today rued that a majority of companies still do not have any specific policy for the fairer sex even though women have reached top positions.

"We see that women have reached top posts but when we look at facilities for them, the facilities they should be getting, which we call gender policy, is not there in 70 per cent of companies. This is not something I am saying but what studies have found," she said at a conference on women leadership and empowerment organised by the CII here.

The Speaker said the present government was framing policies which would be more women friendly.

"If a particular work needs to be completed in a given time frame, women can do it in lesser time than that. We can. If we can do that then why can't we get such facilities. Why don't we think about this," Mahajan said.

"I am hearing that the Government of India is framing a new policy in this regard which will be women friendly. I always used to talk of a women friendly budget. Just as there is gender budgeting, likewise there is gender policy," she said.

Stressing on "quality" of work, she said it was not important how many hours one puts in but what is important is the quality of work.

She said empowerment does not come just by giving women a sword or weapon. "Empowerment happens from within, from self confidence. So the emotion that 'I can do it' is very significant," Mahajan said.

Urging women to recognise their inner strength and power, she rued that there is a perception that women will not understand economic matters though they manage their household budget.

"The woman who takes care of the budget of her house, that woman cannot understand economic matters...This imagination has been created...In parties as well, it is prevalent. What will a women say on the final budget.

"It was opposite in my case as I used to say I have to talk on the final budget. It may be that I will say something wrong once or twice. I can do and I can manage this...This mindset is women's empowerment," she said.

On the occasion, the Delhi chapter of India Women network was launched.