Women may get to corner as much as 70 per cent of the entire officer/clerk jobs cadres in banks by year 2015, industry estimates suggest.

This is based on the current trend in which they represent no less than 60 per of the fresh recruits, sources in the industry said.

Banks are now on a massive recruitment drive across the country ahead of the massive retirements expected to take place by year 2015.

Be that as it may, women employees don't find that easy moving up the ladder. This is not as much because of any institutional bias as due to circumstantial pressures.

Speaking to Business Line on condition of anonymity, a woman bank employee said that promotions to the SM-4 level generally mean transfers to the metros or other cities in north India.

A transfer becomes due when one gets promoted or on completing three years in a branch or six to seven years in a region.

This entails movement lock, stock and barrel to the next region/State. This is perceptibly frequent in the case of smaller banks with fewer branches.

But large banks such as State Bank of Travancore (in Kerala) or State Bank of India allows more elbow room since they have more local branches than a smaller bank.

Transfer amounts to a ‘disruptive intervention,' forcing the employee to choose between their family life and careers.

But family pressures combined with education needs of children often take precedence.

There are many cases where women employees have intentionally forfeited promotions to the next level, she said.

The rules are particularly strict in the private banks, but there are also a few nationalised banks which want their writ to run in the matter of career promotions.

But there have also been some instances in recent times when individual bank managements have been receptive to employee requests on a case-to-case basis.

>vinson@thehindu.co.in

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