The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another; and fortunately, India is home to many exemplary women who have not only brought about a change but have also inspired others to dream and achieve. One such exemplary woman is Dr. Valli Arunachalam. Truly a trailblazer, and a changemaker, she has left no corner unchecked to seek out aspirational and talented women, and nurture them. She is our esteemed guest today. An accomplished scientist, semiconductor technologist and philanthropist, Dr. Arunachalam is also a vehement crusader for women’s rights. While she clearly speaks about the system gender gap, she also specifies what needs to change in order to shape the future.
Team SheAtWork is honoured to host her.
Ques. There is a glaring gender gap in STEM area in India. What needs to change to widen the inflow of women in STEM?
A. I have always admired ISRO and meeting some of the rocket scientists in person was an honour for me. The most important lesson which I learnt from them was to nurture a culture of inclusivity in order to accelerate progress. The management at ISRO makes it amenable for women to rise up to whatever positions they wish to and can! If this principle can be carried through every industry in India, there will be no dearth of women leaders – be it any sphere.
Ques. Is there a gap in mentorship for women in STEM and all other walks of work?
A. Personally, I have never felt the gap, if at all it does exist! When I joined the semi-conductor industry, I was the only woman. Obviously, then I had no other woman to approach for mentorship. Resultantly, I asked men to mentor me, and they agreed. I ended up having an amazing set of male mentors. So, I would say, women have skills – all they need is some encouragement and mentorship to accelerate their growth and leadership across sectors. Look around, and you will find a mentor!
Ques. Tell us more about ‘Women Up Tamil Nadu’ and what kind of work does it do.
A. Women Up Tamil Nadu was started based on the belief that action is more important than words. It comprises of a loose cohort of 20 accomplished women from various fields of work who have come together to collaborate on varied projects designed for the betterment of women in Tamil Nadu. In a nutshell, this initiative aims to promote and support women entrepreneurship in socio-economically backward communities in Tamil Nadu.
Considering that the key to success of any project is the amount of ground level support and passion it has, we identified two NGOs and partnered with them to organize training programmes for rural women and give them a hands-on experience of entrepreneurship. Four days after the programme was over, some of the women went ahead and applied for branding of their products – this is what I call – accelerating action and this is what ‘Women Up Tamil Nadu’ does!
Ques. What needs to be done to ensure acceleration of women’s leadership across sectors?
A. It is essential that organizations assist women employees through mentorship and help them to network. If you open growth arenas for women, they will flourish in any role they assume. Also, women should be more confident in marketing themselves – it is imperative that women communicate clearly and concisely to draw attention to their talent and potential. This I believe will ensure the rise of more women in leadership roles.
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