Workplaces remain largely patriarchal, leading female professionals to turn to dedicated networking groups to learn and grow
Veni Jain, 30, had an idea she believed in. However, before she could do anything about it, she got married and moved to Calcutta from Delhi, where she knew no one except her husband and his family. She has signed up for a Youth Ficci Ladies Organization (Y-Flo) meeting in 2022. Two years and several Y-Flo meetings later, she has a thriving social life and is about to start a business making gourmet cheese and manages pasture boards for celebrations and celebrations. dinners.
On International Women's Day last month, Neha Sharma, 41, attended her first-ever women's support-cum-networking group event at Lead Like Her Club, a group exclusively for women in human resources leadership roles. Gurugram-based Sharma, head of human resources for market operations at Airtel, found the meeting useful as she met many like-minded people who were at a similar stage in their careers. “Everyone wanted to come together as a community to think of ways we can give back to working women,” says Sharma.
Jain and Sharma are among a growing number of women who are turning to women-only groups because mainstream networking groups aren't doing enough for them. “Women often face the double bind dilemma, where they are expected to be assertive but not aggressive, nurturing but not weak. The gender pay gap and lack of representation in leadership roles further exacerbate these challenges, making it critical for women to have spaces where they can discuss and address these issues,” said Aparna Acharekar, 46, co-founder of women's networking platform Coto. Coto started in October 2022 and has 400,000 members and 7,000 communities, or groups based on different interests. Community heads decide how often they meet. “In addition, responsibilities such as childcare and housework fall disproportionately on the shoulders of women, creating a constant tension between work and private life.”
All entrepreneurs need like-minded people to advise, create, warn and celebrate, says Elisha Saigal, 40, the Mumbai-based founder and CEO of El Sol Strategic Consultants, who has been part of multiple women's networking groups, including Ladies Who Lead, for five years . “Your teams share your vision, wins and annual goals, but you need a closed loop to course-correct, reflect and motivate,” she says. “We brainstorm, co-create, party, unlearn and learn from each other. We share similar business problems and help each other navigate through them.”
Women-only support groups promote empathy through shared experiences, says Radhika Yuvraj Iyengar, 47, India country director of Women In Tech Global, an organization that advocates diversity in STEM. The group has 528 members in India and 10,000 worldwide. The Indian branch started six years ago and members meet once a week. A global meeting is held once every two months; they use both virtual and in-person meetings. “The struggles faced by Indian working women are widely recognized but not yet universally understood. Issues such as achieving work-life balance, managing work and family commitments, addressing health and wellness concerns, dealing with adversity including toxic work environments, all while striving to maintain dignity and remove barriers breakthroughs, remain complex and are often misunderstood. Participating in women-focused groups allows individuals to express themselves freely, find common ground and grow together,” explains Iyengar from Hyderabad.
Such groups are also a good way to build a community of friends for yourself in a new city. They also helped working women cope with the challenges of the pandemic, bringing them closer together. “Surviving and thriving in 2020 would not have been possible without this support,” said Saigal.
Creating community
Workplaces and culture remain largely patriarchal. That's why women often turn to groups that understand their unique circumstances and challenges and seek advice. “Research has shown that women are interrupted more often, receive less recognition for their ideas and are underrepresented in decision-making positions. They face microaggressions and gender biases that hinder their professional growth and networking opportunities,” says Acharekar, who lives in Mumbai.
One word that comes up frequently among founders and members of women-only networking groups is “community” – for both work and pleasure. Garima Dhamija, 50, and five others co-founded Lead Like Her in Gurugram in 2022 with the aim of creating the community of working women and giving back. The association now has fifty members and meets every two weeks. The group is limited to the National Capital Region (NCR).
“When I spoke to working women post-Covid, I found that they all felt the need for community. Community is one of the fundamental pillars of well-being and progress,” Dhamija noted.
Ficci Ladies Organization (Flo), for women over 40 years old, helps women who have had many years of family responsibilities and want to return to the labor market. Founded in 1983, Flo has 19 chapters across India. It has about 11,000 members across India, and 1,250 in Bengaluru alone. Normally, Flo Bengaluru holds two meetings a week, while other chapters set their agendas based on their needs. Many of them have good ideas, but don't know how to implement them. “At Flo, our members find mentorship, industry-specific knowledge, legal and financial assistance and assistance at every step of their business,” says Yashodhara Shroff, 61, chairman of Flo's Bengaluru chapter. “While they can find similar help in regular networking groups, there is a level of comfort when women interact with other women.”
Shrenik Avlani is a writer and editor and co-author of The Shivfit Waya book about functional fitness.