More women than men reveal that they did not wish to put themselves out there to pursue jobs and fail, and were only trying to follow the guidelines of the recruitment process
If there is anything the third wave of feminism in the West has made apparent, it is the glaring difference between the way men and women approach work, remuneration, and personal responsibility. The statistic that women don’t apply for jobs unless they’re a close to 100 per cent match, while men go for jobs where they meet 60 per cent of the required qualifications is referred to as ‘The Confidence Gap’ in Western discourse. The cause, however, might be more layered than just a lack of confidence in women in the Indian context.
A survey by Harvard Business Review found that for both women and men, the biggest reason for not wanting to apply for a job where they were a 60-70 per cent match was to not waste their own time. However, more women than men said that they did not wish to put themselves out there and fail, and were only trying to follow the guidelines of the recruitment process. While a lot of personal factors come into play for women in India looking for jobs, the hindrance from applying for a role that they are a 70 per cent match for contains not only nuances of self-perception and a fear of failure, but also deep-seated conditioning and breaking generational cycles of patriarchy.
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The way one navigates failure is largely impacted by their gender identity and experiences. Image: Unsplash
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Pursuing higher education and having a job, for many women, means going against the norm in their families. Image: Unsplash
Fear of failure or fear of a perception of failure?
“At the beginning of my career, I would refrain from applying to jobs where I was short of just one or two of the qualifications mentioned due to self-doubt. I would tell myself that there would be so many people with more experience who stand a better chance of getting the job. However, now, I am more doubtful that if I apply and make it through even when I don’t have certain skills, there are chances that I will be in an environment where there is no room to have a learning curve and that I will be short-judged for the rest of my time in the organisation,” shares Nikkon Balial, who works in the international development sector.
Kritika Chawla, who works in brand solutions, shares that she refrains from applying to jobs where she does not meet all the requirements because it makes her feel that she is not ready for the role yet. “I don’t want to apply prematurely and be rejected by a potential employer when I could just build up those skills and go for it at a future date,” she shares.
The way one navigates failure is largely impacted by their gender identity and experiences. Kritija Saxena, a drama and movement psychotherapist and psychologist shares how women perceive failure: “We’re still in the process of normalising women’s education and careers, especially in India. A lot of women who are seeking jobs right now might be the first woman in their family to do so, or to even get higher education. Even if you see the academic performance statistics between men and women, the numbers are very skewed because women have a lot riding on their education. The higher they score, the higher the chances are they will study further and get jobs, thus avoiding the fate of getting married at an early age. This is not just for rural households, it holds true for urban households as well.”
Pursuing higher education and having a job, for many women, means going against the norm in their families. The idea of failure is then perceived differently by the two genders. Saxena adds, “The consequences of women failing are very real from the get-go. Therefore, their understanding of what failure would mean is very different. Being jobless directly correlates to getting married in many cases. For women, it is never assumed that they are going to work, whereas it is a primary expectation from men. So, for women, not succeeding is a point of absolute failure that can be an abrupt roadblock or even an end to their career path.” This conditioning holds women back from applying for roles unless they’re sure they’re a complete fit, perhaps explaining why fewer women hold leadership positions in corporate enterprises than men.
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More women than men said that they did not wish to put themselves out there and fail Image: Pexels
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A lot of women who are seeking jobs right now might be the first woman in their family to do so, or to even get higher education. Image: Unsplash
Following guidelines
Working professionals who are on the other end of the hiring process look at it from a very different point of view. HR professionals often advise hiring managers that the “perfect candidate” does not exist, and that they should look for someone who responds well to feedback and is coachable. Ananya Kumar, an HR professional with four years of experience in the e-commerce industry shares, “In our internal discussions, it becomes obvious that for any role, finding a candidate who hits 80 per cent of the qualifications is like hitting the jackpot. As long as the missing skill is not absolutely essential to the daily functioning of the role, we do not rule out the candidate.”
However, the way they’re perceived varies between men and women. More women than men The Established spoke to for this article admitted that they did not wish to waste a recruiter’s time and effort and would hence hold back from applying. Nilansha Kumar, a correspondent at a leading Indian newspaper, says, “It is a clear boundary that the recruiting manager has set for the role.”
Saxena explains, “Women are taught that they should behave a certain way, be considerate, empathetic, and insightful. They understand boundaries without even being told what they are and they grow up following more instructions than men. The consequences for women within the household are also a lot more when there are breaches in boundaries. In stark contrast, men face fewer boundaries and less harsh consequences even for similar breaches in boundaries.”
Women are conditioned to be more accommodating, which plays a role in how they respond to boundaries as adults. So, while applying for jobs, they tend to think of not only their own goals and aspirations, but also the convenience of the person who would be sifting through the applications and expecting a certain amount of exposure from the candidate.
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For women, it is never assumed that they are going to work, whereas it is a primary expectation from men. Image: Pexels
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More women than men admitted that they did not wish to waste a recruiter’s time and effort and would hence hold back from applying. Image: Dupe
Navigating the corporate world
“There is centuries of difference between when men and women started looking for jobs in exchange for remuneration. Women being formally employed is a very new phenomenon. Since men have dominated the space for a long time, they know intrinsically how to move ahead, while women still turn inwards,” says Saxena about navigating one’s way in a corporation.
Kanika Khurana, a marketing executive shares, “What would I say in an interview when I am questioned about the skills that I am missing? It will eventually catch up with me.”
In stark contrast, management consultant Shubham Dhingra shares that he is “good at talking his way through things” and is confident that he would be able to convince the boss that he can learn quickly. Another senior researcher shares that he would convince the recruiting team that the skills he doesn’t yet have are an area of growth opportunity for him.
However, one must acknowledge that the playing field is not even for men and women in the workspace as long as women still have to prove themselves to be practical, logical, and competent—traits that are assumed as natural to men in traditional societies.
“WOMEN FEEL A NEED TO PROVE THEMSELVES AT EVERY POINT BECAUSE THE WORK ENVIRONMENT IN CAPITALISM IS STILL VERY PATRIARCHAL; MOSTLY MEN HOLD POSITIONS OF POWER."
Kritija Saxena
"Because of the indoctrination women face growing up, they feel the constant need to prove that they are worth the opportunity, the promotion, the raise,” Saxena adds. In this context, it becomes hard to look away from the fact that while men are able to prioritise their convenience and goals while looking for jobs, women are working against an added layer of expectations that have been internalised for ages and translates into “self-doubt”. For women to break through these barriers, there is a need for pivotal change to take place at the root of the problem by imbibing cognisance of a girl’s future inner voice when we raise them.
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