MUMBAI: Women have the power to create, nurture and transform. The very word ‘woman’ conjures up the images of selfless love, care and affection. International Women’s Day is a worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements – from the political to the social, professional to the personal – while calling for gender equality. It has been observed since the early 1900s and is now recognised each year on 8 March.
Men, today, do a higher share of chores and household work than any generation before them. Yet working women, especially working mothers, continue to do significantly more. However, a real man always appreciates the important women in his life and celebrates their presence every day.
Indiantelevision.com spoke to some of the men in the Indian media industry about their views on the subject.
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ALTBalaji COO Sunil Nair I don't think I need a special day to realise how important the women in my life are. At home, every day is women's day since I live with three women—my daughter, wife and mother-and they ensure that I never forget who the real boss in house is. I believe we all can celebrate the women in our lives by respecting them, their opinions, treating them as equals and considering their views and choices as equally important. At workplaces, most Indian men do not know how to deal with a female coworker who is more intelligent or is more qualified. A deliberate policy that ensures that workplaces have good gender diversity helps in the longer run. |
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Green Gold Animation founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka I personally believe that women are superior to men, but unfortunately even today, most women across India are struggling to have their voices heard and are fighting hard to secure their rights. In India, gender inequality is a huge problem and that has to be fixed. Most kids TV shows today are targeted towards boys with the message that boys/men are more important than girls/women. This has to change and we need to treat boys and girls as equals. I feel we shouldn’t just dedicate a day to celebrate but rather give them respect, importance, love and independence every day. In India, we all pray to goddesses like Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati for power, wealth and education but yet when it comes to our households we don’t look up to our women and we treat our women shabbily. At workplaces, we need to hire more women and companies need to provide security and safe transport to women who work late hours. More importantly, families need to understand that the women can also aspire to have a successful career along with a fulfilling family life. |
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Bodhi Tree Multimedia founder Mautik Tolia Women's day is deeply significant for me as I stand the man I am today because of the women who have influenced my life in various ways by helping me evolve and grow into the person I am today. I celebrate the women in my life by constantly making them feel how special and important they are to me. Although I don't do this enough and feel I must do this more. The industry needs to do more about the safety of women especially at sets, which are located in far-flung areas with late pack up times by providing them transport and ensuring their safety. The industry is very demanding on young women especially who come from smaller towns with no safety net and hence a strong support system needs to be created by the seniors in the industry to ensure their physical and mental well being. |
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PwC India entertainment and media leader Frank D’souza Women’s day is a reminder of the fact that much needs to be done for women around the world, at various levels — socio, economic and political. A true test of the endeavours in this regard would be the time when we don't feel the need anymore to celebrate a day in particular! A mother, wife, sister and daughter helps an individual to grow and flourish. I seek to recognise this contribution in the women in my life. There are times I do it well, and at times, I could do it better. But what needs to be done at workplace to ensure women are on equal footing as men is a debatable and tough question. Equality demands that all be treated similarly. However, one needs to be cognisant of the different needs of women at workplace, and create and implement policies to recognise such differences, primarily in issues related to career advancement. The challenge here to get the male workforce to appreciate the need for such distinction and not to feel reverse discriminated. |
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Eros Digital COO Ali Hussein Women’s day is a big day for me, as it’s a good way to take a step back and recognise their contribution in my life both personally and professionally. I have two very important women in my life: my wife and daughter and I celebrate the day by taking them out for a meal. At Eros, we try and maintain an equal men-to-women ratio in the team. This not only ensures great productivity but more so being a consumer brand allows us to maintain a tone and culture with our viewers largely. |
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ALTBalaji CMO Manav Sethi Every day is women’s day when you live with your mom, wife and daughter. I look forward for men’s day! I celebrate the women in my life by giving them space, freedom, enablement and reinforcement that they are better than men. At workplace, we need to treat them as equals, give them opportunities, skill enhancement, learning and risks. Management/workplace is never a function of sex. It’s all about people, passion, commitment, common sense and brains. |
