How should the workplace change?
Workplaces have to learn to embrace the biological differences of gender and cater to those needs. I don’t like women having to make either-or choices, saying either you have a baby or you have a promotion. I think that you have to learn to tell your workplaces — listen, friend, I’m a woman. These are my needs. This is my biological right, and I am going to live by that. You change your corporate policy for that. I’m very proud that India has announced gender budgeting and soon gender auditing. What’s gender budgeting? Gender budgeting is where we have said 10 per cent of the budget of every ministry will be focussed on sensitising, awareness, empowering, putting it into infrastructure which is required to empower women. Now ministries have creches, and we have asked Parliament to put a creche into place. Why should a woman have to choose between breastfeeding and sitting in a boardroom? What was it like raising two daughters in a patriarchal society? The only regret I have is I don’t
