Most of the south India-based banks have a fair share of women in their workforce.
This trend is visible when one looks at the annual reports of public sector banks (Table).
The contrast between banks based in the South and those in the North, on this score, are clear. Take the example of two associate banks of State Bank of India — the Kerala-based State Bank of Travancore (SBT) and the North-based State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ). In 2011-12, the percentage of women employees was 37.77 per cent in SBT, and 10.21 per cent in SBBJ.
According to Usha Ananthasubramanian, Executive Director of Punjab National Bank, South India has been a forerunner in women’s education.
This could be a reason for more women here taking up employment, such as bank jobs, than their counterparts in some of the northern States.
Meera Arhanha, General Manager of Karnataka Bank, says that many banks have taken birth in the South.
And, there is a banker in most households in the South. In the North, there are more business opportunities.
The South, she says, is more service oriented and the North, business oriented.
A closer look at the banking industry shows that the South has indeed been the ‘cradle’ of Indian banking.
Even today, as many as seven public sector banks — Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank, Andhra Bank, Canara Bank and Vijaya Bank — along with three of the associate banks of SBI — SBT, State Bank of Hyderabad and State Bank of Mysore — and half a dozen old private banks are located here. That these banks are headquartered in the South and have a strong presence here, give the women folk some level of comfort.