Sexism, biggest obstacle for women in banking

Manisha Girotra is an Indian investment banker who is capable of moving around big deals. Recently she completed a deal of $260 million Wockhard for  hospitals iin a market that had been slowed down by the covid pandemic. She sees ‘sexism’ as a major barrier faced within her 28 year long investment banking career.

 

Dressed in favourite blue kurta she explains that no one took her seriously when she entered the field of banking. Many thought of her as  a  young woman  who’s spending time in the field of banking  until she finds a good husband. Many assumed that she would permanently switch on to the role of house wife once she got pregnant. Girotra had deal with been ignored and casual remarks that were not pleasing.

 

“ dealt with “casual remarks about what you wear and how you look, or people not shaking my hand, or making eye contact. I would be the head of the team but everyone would only talk to my male colleagues. I was told to order pizzas, and get coffee. I remember going to offices and there were no bathrooms for women, except in the basement.”

 

Things did not stop there during ha foreign trip she was asked to iron a male colleague’s suit! Clients were not used to women discussing balance sheets in board rooms.

 

Determined

 

Long work hours and strong family support helped her to swim upstream. When had her daughter, Tara, she had to put the baby in a hotel with a nanny while she worked nearby. There were no crèches at work at that time. When little Tara was ill she had to immediately get on a plain to return home.

 

The little daughter understood what mum was doing “she became a co-sponsor of my work life,” she says with a smile. At Moelis, investment banking where she was boss, she encouraged work life balance –All employees were given time off to attend to family matters.

 

Manisha Girotra’ believed that failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts. It seems that the ideals and hard work has paid off, as now she is the most higly ranked Indian women in Investment banking.