By Artilin Row Thangkhiew
A developed society or nation is one of equality – where one is treated equally, irrespective of caste, gender, colour, profession, and status. If we want a developed nation/state, our first step is to stop discriminating against people, individually and collectively, and change our worldview.
Given the strata of inequality, we have to work towards achieving this goal. Women, in particular, continue to suffer, hence, we must question if women and men enjoy the same privileges; more so, when the current talk revolves around the idea of men and women being equal in the 21st century.
The perception is changing slowly but steadily. People are now becoming more aware of their rights and what they can do in a free society. When women and men hold the same position and participate equally, society progresses in a positive direction. When a community reaches gender equality, everyone enjoys the same privileges and gets similar scopes in education, health and occupation, among others. This, in turn, has wider ramifications in politics.
I come from a family where both men and women have been encouraged to go out, study, grow in careers and be financially independent, and never stopped from chasing our dreams and crossing all barriers.
As a cancer survivor, my journey was not easy; despite this, I decided to become an entrepreneur and worked throughout my treatment. Working gave me a sense of purpose and happiness, successfully publishing a book titled, Pink of Hope and Love, and simultaneously running ETPL India, an IT solutions company and Country Spices. The latter is about health and wellness that combines business to support the local farmers.
Being an animal lover, I also founded POArt Travel and Tours, which looks after animal welfare. I am not just an entrepreneur, I call myself ‘passionpreneur’. As a motivational speaker, my long-term aim is to inspire women to come out of the four walls of the house and showcase their passion.
What made this even special was winning the All-India Women Entrepreneur Award in 2021. I was undergoing my second session of chemotherapy then.
I travelled extensively during my time at Computer Associates. My daughter was four years old. In my journey, support came in the form of my husband helping me achieve my targets. What I observed in my early years was how software companies were male-dominated, with six women on the team. Most were men.
Women earn 10 to 20 per cent less than men for the same work and even for the same role. Pay inequality persists everywhere. As a woman passionpreneur, I value the global equal wage movement across the world.
To ensure gender equality, we also need to eradicate social evils – child marriage, dowry and limited education for the girl child. These still plague many parts of India and have long-term effects on the workplace too.
To reduce unequal wages, we need to collectively work together to eliminate discriminatory laws, policies and practices. At the policy level, and among nations, we have to ensure that developing countries are better represented in decision-making on global issues so that solutions can be found and adapted.
I have also observed how malicious behaviour comes in the form of comparison. When a woman rises up the ladder, there are insinuating whispers about codes of conduct. When men rise in positions of power, it is viewed as normal.
Having worked in a male-dominated industry, I can vouch for the fact that most professions are dominated by men. The hospitality industry, for instance, was controlled by men. Bigger roles and faster promotions were offered to men. Interestingly, this was the one place where we were paid equal pay.
The year 2000 was a defining year for me. I handled and headed the CRM department in Computer Associates – the third largest software company in the world. My boss not only had confidence in me but boosted mine, and gave me the full liberty to set up the new role for the first time.
In attending events and meetings where I was often the only woman, there was no sense of discomfort.
Needless to say, I learned a lot during my stint at Computer Associates. Fate had other plans for me, and I came back to Shillong in 2004 and started ETPL India. The following year, we rolled out the information technology software and skill training. These projects in Meghalaya have been successful so far.
Healthy choices have defined my life, hence, the motto of Country Spices is “Making healthy lifestyle easier”.
Having donned many caps, I value my lessons and the varied roles I play in society.
I envision a society where we rise together and support each other. Every girl child today is a promise of a better world tomorrow. The world is changing and women hold senior roles. Let’s all celebrate the many roles we play.