“Don’t you have a
family to look after?”
“How do you have the
heart to leave your kids and go to work?”
“What are you even going
to achieve by working?
What has incessantly been holding
women back was the fear of initiating dissent, the fear of being judged and the
subjection to societal pressure.
Well, not any more.
A welcoming trend of
the 21st century has empowered women to identify the glass ceiling
and break it.
What is the
Glass Ceiling?
Very often we witness
women joining the workforce with confidence, valor and an aspiration to conquer
the world.
They go on climbing
the corporate ladder until suddenly a plethora of responsibilities starts
weighing them down. The responsibilities of a married life, of children, of
in-laws, and of society.
This is when the
attrition rate reaches a peak. Middle aged women start dropping out of the work
force to attend to things which have been labelled “more important” by society.
This is precisely
termed as the Glass Ceiling, a ceiling above which there are better
opportunities and a better life, but yet of oblivion to these women who have
been blinded by the age-old norms and ideologies.
This invisible
barrier prevents women from reaching top hierarchal positions whilst also
shattering their dreams of branching out of the workforce as budding entrepreneurs.
Falguni Nayar - Founder & CEO of Nykaa
There are several
women who have been shattering the glass ceiling for a while now, but amongst
them a story that I draw utmost inspiration from is the story of a budding
entrepreneur, Falguni Nayar, Founder and CEO of Nykaa, a multistore e-commerce
website which transitioned from a beauty & wellness platform in 2012 to
upscaling every operational area ever since and is all set to release its IPO in
2021.
Despite being the Director
of the Equity Division at the well-known Kotak Mahindra Bank, Falguni never let
mediocracy overtake her ambition of being an entrepreneur.
She left the bank at
the peak of her career and risked it all by stepping into the then volatile
e-commerce business of 2012. E-commerce
had just started its operations pan India and venturing into it was a brave
step that Falguni along with her daughter, dared to take. Her superiors at
Kotak Mahindra Bank placed zero confidence in her venture and tried to persuade
her into securing her position at the bank instead.
Today, the business
has evolved into a one-stop destination for all fashion and make-up brands.
Along with an e-commerce operation, they have opened stores across the country
to service the slow transition of the Indian community who are still skeptical
of online operationality.
Not a typical “Rags
to Riches” kind of story but nonetheless an inspiration to all
those young women who feel gripped by societal pressure. It is indeed a much needed stimulus to step
into the work-force with a new energy, a new zeal.
She believed in her
goal and didn’t need validation from anyone else. She strongly believed that
the venture would strike chords with women who like to dress-up, not to impress
others but as a boost of confidence for themselves.
Replacing the ‘need’
to work, with the ‘want’ to work, trend must be encouraged. Just
like Falguni, an already well settled banker who didn’t “need” to start an
e-commerce website, but “wanted” to because that’s exactly what she was
passionate about and pursing her passion was the one thing that brought her
immense satisfaction and happiness.
Some naysayers may
call it a capitalistic act, wherein an already wealthy professional goes
on to acquire more wealth. But what they don’t see is a woman behind the scene,
making the platform what it is today by her sheer trust in herself and the
nerve to go on with her dream despite all the psychological obstacles that have
supposedly been embedded in the minds of every working women of India.
“Women are driving towards success,
Disregarding societal pressure and stress,
With confidence they progress,
Chipping away at the glass ceiling,
Their
aspirations need no concealing.”
Written By - Tushna
Choksey
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