Women in Academia and Corporate
By Vidhi Arora
In 1903, a group of women marched down the roads of Britain to demand the right to vote
and consequently kick-started a movement to fight, resist and structurally dismantle a society built on a patriarchal framework.116 years later, 90% of women have rights protecting their political and social interests, yet a majority of them remain uninformed of these rights.
Women in the corporate workforce still struggle to fight against barriers place by misogynists,while in academia, they are left to constantly defend the authenticity of their
work and answering questions doubting their intellects. Academia in the 21st century suffers through a restrictive male gaze and parochial understanding of feminist studies and movements, which limits the scope of understanding and growth for the society as a whole.
The idea behind such disheartening lack of representation and opportunities for women in the workplace and academia stems from both the concept of internalized misogyny by countless women, as well as the power imbalance that has existed for centuries.
The idea of internalized misogyny combined with structurally enforced gendered role has often discouraged women from opting towards these particular fields. While the power imbalance is challenged by women because a large percentage of women in corporate
ensures a greater transparency and accountability in functioning and simultaneously challenges the carefully structured gendered roles.
Hence, it becomes imperative that we have more representation within these fields because they provide and facilitate access points for women to challenge and optimally engage with their oppressor. Women professors in a class can help create a safe and positive environment for other young girls to study and grow while also educating young boys on the importance of moving away from toxic masculinity.
It allows women to demand and gives them the power to be heard. A woman CEO can help establish stringent and suitable ethics in the workplace to prevent other women from being sexually harassed. These positions provide women with tools imperative for information dissemination.
Books written by women will help provide a far more convincing and authentic account of the disabilities that many young girls live their lives through. It provides an opportunity for women to vocalise their lived experiences and helps us identify the locus of oppression.
These fields exist within the mainstream, and offer a visibility that has been historically denied to women. The power of such tools, visibility and representation puts us a vantage point to help and uplift other women. The idea of independence and value of a woman in a society that the suffragette movement initiated cannot be complete until we can say that we are safely integrated in every aspect of the world that we have helped create.
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