Long before gender diversity became a buzzword and a fashionable thing for organisations to do, women working in public sector units in India had banded together to form a network. This month the Forum of Women in Public Sector (WIPS) turned 28 and its founder chairperson Dr Reena Ramchandran (she is a double doctorate in chemistry) shares her vision on what its role should be in future. Ramachandran, who became Chairman and Managing Director of a public sector unit (Hindustan Organic Chemicals) while still in her early 50s and served as the president of WIPS for over ten years, feels that although there are gender policies in place at most workplaces now, it’s important for women to learn to manage workplace diversity on their own. Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, she speaks her mind to Business Line on how women can carve their own path. Excerpts:

How many women are members of WIPS and how was it created?

There are over 10,000 members currently. All central PSUs are part of WIPS and currently there are some 85 PSUs involved. WIPS was born out of a national convention of women in PSUs that the Cabinet Secretariat and department of public enterprises (DPE) along with SCOPE (Standing Conference of Public Enterprises) had organised in 1989. Over 500 delegates attended that meet and we decided to create a permanent platform for continuous exchange of ideas.

On February 12, 1990, WIPS was created collectively by women under the aegis of SCOPE. Later we created a structure with a central apex committee and regional chapters. In 2015 the Department of Public Enterprises mandated all PSUs, excluding public sector banks, to create WIPS cell in their organisation. Every February 12 we hold a national meet by rotation in different parts of the country so that women from everywhere get a chance to be part of it. This year it was at Guwahati.

What impact has WIPS created in its 28-year-existence? And how has it stayed relevant?

When it was created it was not a demand forum, not a union, but essentially a confidence-building forum for women working in PSUs. Over the years the forum has offered the opportunity for networking, provided exposure to members through training and skill development , and helped women learn from each other’s experiences. This has been increasing over the years.

Also, since WIPS was born with the blessings of the managements of the PSUs and SCOPE it has been easy to sustain. Till date we don’t have funds of our own, but the PSUs that are members sponsor the events. In a way, we have created the largest professional networking forum for women in the organised sector. It is a self-created forum where the women are in control. And in the process they get the managements to listen in to what the women have to say.

Despite the presence of a body like WIPS and gender-sensitive policies why do you think the number of women in PSUs is coming down?

That’s because the critical mass is still far below the threshold at the entry level. Also, the overall state of the economy in relation to employment generation has a bearing. Overall, employment in PSUs has come down.

I do not think gender-sensitive policies have made any impact insofar as the recruitment and promotion of women in PSUs is concerned as the overall proportion of women has remained the same in the system over the years. India, in fact, is the most legislated country as far as gender policies go. And sometimes these legislations lead to new workplace dynamics that also contribute to the problem.

So what will make a difference?

Instead of focusing on legislation and policies, there should be an effort to research the social side, the impact. We need to do periodic gender audits. We need to build real time data on women in the workforce – both quantitative and qualitative and update this regularly.

As for women, they have to stop depending on policies and focus on themselves. They need to discover the potential in themselves and make their own road. Women should also know how to manage diversity on their own. When I was working we were part of the general pool and had to learn to do this.

You have to have ambition and clear goals. Networking is also important. Join industry associations. Join a forum, diversify your interests. For all of these, women need to make time for themselves. Throughout my career I would make sure I would go out for events in the evening. These things improve your vision. You are a more informed person. It also improves your visibility. You cannot just go to office, do the jobs and expect career growth.

That may be easy for the extroverts. What about introverts?

Today you have the internet, Facebook, Twitter, and many web forums. Connecting with the world is much easier than it was in my time.

WIPS is 28 years old today. What should be the future focus?

An important trend that we have to look at is that the role of PSUs is coming down. So it is necessary to equip women with entrepreneurial skills. The future is about giving them exposure. It is necessary women equip themselves with information related to managing workplace diversity. Also, we need to train them to take on a board role.

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