She Leads India: Why and how everyday women lead the nation

Women are struggling to contribute to the economy in every way possible. Not because of themselves but because the women at work ratios haven't shown any improvement. Perhaps opportunity and access challenges? They are breaking glass ceilings in the professions that were male-dominated before. The process has been slow and steady but some important role models are hopefully going to change that further.

Today, women are in space science handling the most vital projects like India's mission to mars, they are riding bikes, attaining leadership positions in banks and more. These women at any stage of their lives, fought stereotypes and emerged successful in their own right.

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Relationship expert, Aparna Balasundaram feels that future lies with women. “It is upto us to be that change. We cannot depend on others to clear the path for us, we have got to clear the path outside in the world ourselves. And more importantly clear our own thought-process to kind of break those internal glass-ceilings that exist within us,” says Balasundaram at the Gurgaon Moms Summit.

"Women are like a teag bag unless you put her in hot water, you really don’t know how strong she is."- Harini Shivkumar

Pallavi Dhamija, a working woman residing in Gurgaon believes that women are beginning to turn decision makers. "We see women leaders coming up, taking charge and leading the country in the right direction. We see women taking charge of the finances which earlier was a domain of men. Women decide which home to buy, where the kids will go, what profession they want to choose and what the definition of success for them.”

Another resident of Gurgaon and an HR consultant, Poulami Dey insists we consider house work and home making a contributing to the economy. "We start at home and we are leading our husbands and our children so that the best is possible in our households."

For founder of Soapworks, Harini Shivkumar, women play an integral part in every stage of life right from the time a child is born to the time till taking up the country and running it. “I often think that women are like a tea bag unless you put her in hot water, you really don’t know how strong she is.”

"We cannot depend on others to clear the path for us, we have got to clear the path outside in the world ourselves."- Aparna Balasundaram

A baker mom, Meenakshi Chakrabhurti “Women are leading in every way. Starting from the family, bringing up children, giving them the best education, moral lessons and we are also an advisor to their husbands. Today she can be many things rather than just being a home maker. She can be an entrepreneur, a scientist, an IT professional. Basically women are there in every field.”

The idea of She Leads India has come of age and women are taking up new roles and opening the gates to new opportunities for themselves.