Women in Automation
Published on : Sunday 08-03-2020
Industrial Automation celebrates women leaders and entrepreneurs in the field on the occasion of International Women’s Day celebrated universally on March 8.
As far quotes go, this one captures it best: “Wherever, opportunities were given to women, they have done better than men in India.” Thus spake Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog, sometime in August 2019, speaking at the Women Transforming India awards function. “Women have to play a very critical role because by next decade we will have 75 million women getting into the workforce in India. At present, India has only about 27 per cent women in the workforce and we have to take it to the world average of 48 per cent,” he added, for good measure. Incidentally, the theme for International Women’s Day 2020 is ‘I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights’, with the hashtag #EachforEqual. Time to give equal representation to women at the workplace to realise the full potential of the country.
For the March 2020 edition, Industrial Automation invited women professionals in the automation arena to speak about their experience. These interviews are featured in the print edition as well as online, and a gist of it is presented in this feature.
What inspired these women to pursue a career in engineering when it was not much invogue?
“I was drawn towards the engineering filed by my parents and a few female relatives in the extended family who had already completed their engineering studies, considering my ability to apply logic. My career options were many, but being connected to the innovations in the field of Instrumentation & Control was close to my heart, which directed me to start my career from the field of Technical Support,” says entrepreneur Anuja Thukral, Proprietor, Congmax Electro. After working for a few years with tech companies, Anuja is today running her own enterprise dealing with automation products and devices from global companies.
Dharini Joshi, Director, Trio Motion Technology India Pvt Ltd, who began her journey from a small town in Gujarat was a ‘maths’ kind of student and loved working with tools and gadgets so thought engineering was a natural option for her. “I must add that my father supported my choice and encouraged me, and I always tried to prove that it was the right decision,” she says emphatically. “We have inherent multitasking and managing techniques which makes us born leaders but when it comes professional world we need to organise our action and believe in ourselves to achieve leadership role” she adds.
Women working in engineering field invariable get involved in projects and that necessitates travel and work outside the 9-to-5 routine, so how do they handle that?
“Yes, at times thereare pressures to meet deadlines, and being in Quality Assurance, customer comes first, always. Travelling for test performance at a 3rd party laboratory certainly creates more pressure. There are times when it is a challenge to balance work at office, travel due to work and the many things that demand attention at home,” says Heena Patel, Quality Assurance Manager, Baumer Technologies India Pvt Ltd, narrating her experience. Engineering is something she always wanted to do, and today she has spent over 11 years in the industry.
For Jyotsna Joshi, Business Director Asia Pacific (Industry Solutions), Emerson, the requirement of her job profile is quite demanding and challenging. “It does require lot of travelling and involves handling big projects. At times it creates tremendous pressures of meeting deadlines. Setting up right priorities, time management, discipline, helps to cope up with the pressures. It’s also very important to have some leisure time and taking care of oneself mentally and physically for relieving stress,” she says, and adds, “My career has taken different turns during the last 28 years and I have loved all of it. I really enjoy what I am presently doing. I would have liked to do something professionally in creative arts. However, today painting and music are my hobbies.”
Working or not, women are also expected to run the household. More pulls and pressures?
“For women, our career clocks compete with our biological ones. At several points in my career, I had to take a step back: when I got married, had kids, etc. But then I always doubled down on my commitment and determination to get back on my career track without losing sight of my goals. It wasn’t easy, but I wanted to have it all – professional success and personal fulfilment. Of course, I was incredibly lucky to have a supportive family and workplace to help make that all possible,” says Meenu Batra, Key Account Head for India, Phoenix Contact India Pvt Ltd.
Mohini Kelkar, Director, Grind Master Machines Pvt Ltd, studied was more interested in manufacturing technology and innovations and opted for Production Engineering. She has the distinction of being the first lady Production Engineer from VJTI and most probably from India as well. “I felt bored in my first desk job. I wanted to travel, see and understand how the industry works and how manufacturing technologies are deployed. In fact my initial travel abroad was a kind of Technology Sightseeing and not the country sightseeing,” she says. About managing the family: “Fortunately I had a very supportive family, particularly my in- laws. It is indeed important to have a supportive family to be successful. Also a woman has to learn to prioritise work at home and office and not feel bad about not doing some things.”
Did these women ever regret the career choice and wished it were different, a more regular job?
Mohua Sengupta, Senior Business Leader, Financial Services and IT Services Industry, did not study engineering. A Certified General Accountant of Canada with an MBA, she ha worked in leadership roles with the IT majors. “Staying away from kids is always tough, especially if they are really young. While I don't mind the travel that comes with our kind of jobs, it is a problem to stay away from kids. But fortunately in my case my husband is a very hands-on dad and I know that in my absence he will be able to manage everything that I do for our daughter and more. So I was never really worried to pursue a demanding career and that has never prompted me to change my career,” she says.
“The thought has never crossed my mind. Engineering gives you a range of options to explore. Ever since I have joined this field I have been busy pushing myself to learn new skills. I am very passionate about engineering and I don’t think I would have chosen any other field,” says Nilima Singh, Sr Electrical & Instrumentation Engineer. Nilima though confesses of having spent sleepless nights chasing deadlines. But the passion of learning new technology and the changes transpiring in the field of engineering and automation keeps her going. “Pressures of people’s expectations and wining the appreciation of your peers in a predominantly male dominated industry you are in. But over time you do learn how to manage expectations and keep the pressure off,” she adds.
Were there gender issues these women had to battle during the course of their careers?
“Well, I have always believed that if sometimes I missed some opportunity, there must be some room for improvement, and I set my new path and direction to work upon it,” says Pragya Agarwal, Senior Engineer – Smart Engineering, Haldor Topsoe India Pvt Ltd, pragmatically. “I never faced any challenge in travelling or working in shifts in chemical plants before we had a child, but yes, after the birth of our child it was sometimes tricky and even a panic situation, which lasted for about 3-4 years,” she says, and adds: “I had a struggling career, lots of lows and highs, but support from the family and the belief in my strengths and positive powers all around helped me overcome challenges.”
Rekha Subramaniam, former HUB Manager for Substation Automation and Control, ABB, always wanted to do engineering as she was good at maths and science in school. “I did not have any mentor,” she says, but adds: “I was lucky that I had a very supportive family – my husband and my in-laws. So even during the time we had our son and he needed care, I was still able to travel for work as he was cared for at home.” Rekha did not have any reason to think of an alternative career option as she was happy with her choice. Talking of gender issues, she says, “I am lucky that fresh out of college I joined a company and after working for 39 years in the same company I retired last year. The company never made me feel discriminated against based on gender.”
But has the situation changed for the better during the last few years? “In my view, there is a lot of improvement with respect to gender equality, as compared to a decade ago in general. Also, with the advent of the technology, women in the current scenario are facing less gender sensitive issues, hence sustaining and even excelling in the male dominated workplaces,” says Dr C H Renu Madhavi, Associate Professor & HoD, R V College of Engineering, Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering. When asked whether she faced the gender bias in her career, she replied, “No, certainly not. I am elevated to this current position I hold, only because there is no gender discrimination in my organisation.”
“Yes. Workplace is changing for better and is more sensitive to gender issues now. There is lot of encouragement for Women to move up the corporate ladder. Companies are coming up with interesting policies like flexible working hours, extended maternity leave, in-house childcare facility, mother friendly workplaces, etc., that cater to the moms-to-be and women resuming work post-pregnancy. Even from social norms perspective, things have changed dramatically in the past few years. Society has accepted the importance and need for a women contributing to the growth of family income and building her own identity,” says, Smitha Rao, Cofounder, Utthunga Technologies. “However women will have hard time advancing through the pipeline to leadership role due to the fear of compromising the motherhood responsibilities,” she adds.
For a field that is largely male dominated, are women facing discrimination when it comes to leadership roles?
“Organisations today are more flexible and considerate. They have diversity and inclusion policies. But policies is just the start, it is people who have to imbibe them in spirit and act accordingly,” says Sujata Tilak, Managing Director – Ascent Intellimation Pvt Ltd. “People are cautious and don’t want to take risks. This may mean some opportunities are denied to women. More importantly it depends on women themselves. Whether they stand up for their rights and are confident and ready to deliver. Today business environment is very competitive and there can be no concessions for women when they take leadership positions. They have to lead from the front,” she adds.
To sum up, what would be the message to the youth when it comes to career choices?
“I strongly believe that prejudices and assumptions are hard to break. A women has to prove her worth and it’s a never ending battle. I have a daughter and I have never taught her the traditional rules of society like ‘this is how a girl behaves’ or ‘this is a game for boys and not girls’. It’s us as a parent who need to teach our children about equality,” says Tushar Chandra, Senior Engineer, Automation & Instrumentation, Haldor Topsoe India Pvt Ltd. “We should teach our children that household/kitchen is not only for women and men are not for only earning bread. If we teach and inculcate this in our children then next generation will not have to face this situation,” she concludes.
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