Mumbai: The Chairperson of the First Women of the State of India (SBI) in its 210-year-old history may not be born at all.
In his book, ‘Combined: Note Women who work about life, work and leadership’, Arundhati Bhattacharya said difficulties and unemployed had forced her father to have a second thought about having the third child when her mother expected her.
However, his mother’s belief that newborns will come with his own fate resulting in changes in plans.
While the appointment of Bhattacharya was celebrated as the arrival of women’s empowerment age, not many have been written about the challenges on the road.
Bhattacharya’s book, published by HarperCollins, has a pointer for how embedded biased to women and continues, even at a lower limit.
Bias was carved in a law because the SBI Law only referred to the chairman, which was why he had to memo his first card printed as chairman.
SBI did not have a woman as an officer of the trial period until 1960.
However, a few decades later, the Bank’s office continued to have small rooms separated for men, women and officers.
Sixty years after the first female officer joined, if a female banker has better work conditions, they have bhattacharya to thank.
Most bank policies for employees and female customers are based on obstacles that he experienced in his career.
His first brush with gender stereotypes was when famous alumni in his school mocked his ambition to become a biochemist, said, “Are you sure? Not a kitchen chemist?” Someone also got insight why women were not present in professional courses in the 70s.
Bhattacharya, who qualifies for medical seats after a joint entry exam, cannot pursue medicine as a hostel for women is not there.
The challenge continues, from the absence of small rooms in the early years not to get a formidable department such as credit (seen as a career career) because of its gender.
Even after he was in a position of power, Bhattacharya found that the temperature in the board room was arranged by remembering a man wearing a thick suit and not a woman in the saree.
This creates a habit of using a teacup to warm his hand.
“So, to be chairman, I think I need to confirm myself on behalf of the women in the board room and ask my male colleagues to leave the coat and tie in their room,” Bhattacharya said.
As chairman, Bhattacharya is credited by introducing a discount of 5bps (100 basis points = 1 percentage point) if the woman is the first holder of the title in a home loan.
This feature not only popularized loans but also finally reduced the default.
And success is copied by others and expanded to more products, including Jan Dhan’s account where more than half is held by women.
He also introduced a two-year leave at first for women, but was then expanded to men, who have helped maintain more women in bank labor.
Once again Bhattacharya, who pushed for five days but had to be satisfied with two Saturdays in a month.