Empowering

Women In
Corporate
Through
Assertiveness

Prof. Parul Rishi

Faculty of Human
Resource Management
parul@iifm.ac.in
 Women Empowerment (WE)

• How do we know when we have it?-

• What it is?
Visible and measurable impacts in
terms of -
WE • Why needed?
• Facilitating environment for work • How to do?
• Equity and Equality in recruitment ,
work and pay
• Beyond • Who should Initiate?
• How it can be done?
• Flexi time to accommodate needs of Concept • How it benefits Society?
women
• Stress free work environment
• Gender sensitive mind set at work
place
Practice Concept
“Women are better managers and can afford
to love their stress with efficient coping
mechanisms without harming
their mind and body”

I Love my Stress!
Rishi (2005) Effective Executive
Madam Omnipotent
 Reached at the executive level
 At the expense of personal life
 Long hours in difficult tense job by
choice
 Retreats home not for relaxation
but a place to hide or vent feelings
left over from a strained day
Madam Cool
 Reached at the executive level
 Same long and tense job
 Returns full of Energy
 Excited at the end of Day
 Excited to begin new day
Point of Difference

 A study of 2000 women executives by Bartolome

&Evans says that psychological differences aside ,
women who are able to maintain work life balance
are able to do three things better than other
executives:

1.
• Adapt well to changes in job

2.
• Find right jobs for themselves

3.
• Handle career disappointments well
Work Stress

 “Beware of the barrenness of busy

life” warned Socrates.

 “Lets take time to touch our lives

with compassion, encourage and
invest ourselves in others.” says
Pamela Ninan.
There was the time when the world was
fine;
The birds did chirp that world was mine.
Now the days that came, aren’t any fun;
We are lost in work, unfeeling hard and
cold.
This is a modern world, I am told.
-Anonymous
Self Generated Stress in Women

 I feel overloaded but I still do Extra

work.
 I am people pleaser. I have trouble
saying no and over commit my
time.
 I am perfectionist.
 I am Worrier
 I am Workaholic.
BEWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS
Self Empowerment of Women
through Better Stress Tolerance Limit
 Cope with Stress more confidently
 Live longer and less susceptible to cardiac
problems, hypertension and strokes.
 Physiologically Protected by females hormones
 Psychologically stronger
 Sensible life style, high STL, Emotional Intelligence
and maturity
 Able to release suppressed feelings
 Good social support network to buffer stress
 Better crisis management
 Able to survive and live happily even in adverse
situations.
Assertiveness Training for Women
Empowerment
 Saying what you like or
dislike about someone or
something without using
degradation.
 Getting what you want,
but not at the expense of
someone else’s self-
esteem.
 “feel good”
communication.
 “to affirm positively,
assuredly, plainly, or
strongly.
 Learn to Say no!
Assertiveness

 The emphasis is on not letting

other people define your role for
you to the point where you stop
being yourself.
 The emphasis is on appropriate
behaviour.
 The emphasis is on doing what you
really want to do, not necessarily
what you like to do.
ASSERTIVENESS SCALE

PASSIVE ASSERTIVE AGRESSIVE

MORE HOSTILE
SHY
EXTROVERTED
VEHEMENT
WITHDRAWING
AWARE OF DEFENDER OF
RIGHTS OWN RIGHTS
RELUCTANT TO
ASSERT RIGHTS & PREVILEGES
VIOLATES &
& PREVILIGES
USES THEM USERPS OTHERS’
CONSTRUCTIVELY RIGHTS
SOCIALLY
INHIBITED
SOCIALLY SOCIALLY
PRODUCTIVE DESTRUCTIVE
Body
Language Assertive Aggressive Passive

Posture Upright/Straight Leaning forward Shrinking back

Head Firm not rigid Chin jutting out Head down
Eyes Direct, not staring, good and Strongly focused Glancing away, little
regular eye contact. staring, often piercing eye contact.
or glaring eye contact.

Face Expression fits the words. Set/Firm. Smiling even when

upset.
Voice Well modulated to fit contact. Loud/ Emphatic. Hesitant/Soft, trailing
off at the end of
words/sentence.
Arms/hands Relaxed/Moving easily. Controlled Aimless/still.
Extreme/Sharp
gestures/finger
pointing
Movement/ Measured pace suitable to Slow and heavy or Slow and hesitant or
Walking action. fast, deliberate, hard. fast and jerky.
ASSERTIVENESS IMPROVES SELF
CONCEPT

Feel Good about your self and your New

Assertive Personality.
BE ASSERTIVE !

BE EMPOWERED !