NEW PARADIGMS OF GENDER INCLUSIVITY

Book excerpt: Diversity, inclusivity, and gender mainstreaming have today become the buzzwords in the corporate arena and civil society. The reason is increased business requirement for diverse competencies and skill sets. Hence, the need to have a mixed gender group has become a business imperative. Furthermore, there is heightened awareness that women are equally competent and talented, if not more, than men in various professional jobs. With increasing job opportunities, tapping and retaining this talent through initiation of various programmes within organizations has shown positive results. New Paradigms for Gender Inclusivity : Theory and Best Practices scripts some of the practices, in the form of case studies, which organizations have followed to enhance gender inclusiveness. These real-life case studies highlight the role played by organizations in facilitating the progression of women which indirectly has helped in their growth, development and recognition of being a forerunner in promoting diversity. The book is divided into three parts. Parts I and III begin with a theoretician’s perspective on gender inclusiveness and gender mainstreaming in India, respectively and close with an academic detailing on reasons and causes for the same. Statistical data and models in the last chapter for the two parts validate the corporate, governmental and civil society attempts at introducing creative yet simple methodologies to make gender diversity and inclusion a reality in the workplace. In Part I, six case studies on the following companies: Broadridge, IBM Daksh, Infosys, Shell India, Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company Ltd.: A Tata Enterprise, and Wipro have been presented which discuss the need for gender diversity and inclusiveness, drivers and barriers, and showcase measures adopted to overcome those barriers. Five cases: SEWA, Indian Police, Sakti, Indian Railways, and RUDI have been presented in Part III which highlight tasks accomplished by women in their area of expertise, marketing strategies adopted by the civil society to promote goods produced by women, sensitization workshops to address harassment, and training workshops. Part II (Interlude) is a break from organizational cases and shares some experiences, angst, insights and observations on gender diversity and inclusion through a narration, a poem and a reflective piece. This book on case studies will be extremely useful for postgraduate students pursuing gender studies in Management Institutes, students working on gender related dissertation topics and corporate houses keen to learn from best practices of other organizations. Additionally, it would benefit readers who wish to learn about organizational policies and practices for gender inclusivity.