Mainstreaming women has been an agenda of the policymakers for long. The Beijing platform for action initiated this in 1995. Still, across the world, women have been denied expressing their potential in various forums. Though the glass ceiling has been crossed in many developing countries, we don't know at what social cost that glass ceiling has been crossed. Technology has played a vital role in effective communication to reach out to target groups, but it has also created a digital divide among the users for men and women. In this chapter, the authors analyze the significance of positive leadership in motivating inclusive growth and sustainable development. They present various case studies on leadership styles being adopted in various organizations that motivated women to be a part of the active labour market without facing any discrimination on the grounds of sex. They explore flexible working hours and the provision of institutes and infrastructure for a conducive working environment in this chapter.
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It can be said that women have been left out from leadership roles and the difference in wages and occupations are noticeable between men and women. The patriarchal status in many organizations have left women out of leadership roles as it is believed that women cannot hold a position of responsibility. In today's world, where the glass ceiling of such statements have been crossed, we do not know whether they are practically implied in the organizations or not. An eye-opening statistic has been reported that women make up less than ten percent of national leaders across the world. There is a pattern of unequal access to the power behind this statistic (Gilliard and Iweala, 2021).
We generally focus on output, performances purely on those measurement standards which are quantitative. It is essential to understand and capture the social cost through qualitative analysis and in-depth understanding of this issue. Behavioral science has gained momentum to capture this through various exercises and models. This has planted seeds of inequality in access to Technology. We look forward to the role of action-oriented leadership in mainstreaming these issues. The achievements of women are extraordinary in every field, but they need to take hold of positions and lead by example in many areas. Although women have been making major decisions in family for long but that has not been explicit in the public sphere which would have strengthened their position in their community, nations etc. Women in every field should play a proactive role. Existing decision-making structures and processes should be changed and should be more inclusive. Women affected by the development interventions must be engaged in the decision-making process, which should be more democratic and participatory. Through this, woman will be able to shape the objectives, priorities, and strategies of development (Jahan & Mumtaz, 1996).
The graph in today's workplace needed to be filled in a holistic manner that ensures that a diverse group of people creates the Technology of the future. It is critical to assess how Technology is affected by humans, how it affects humans, and how it affects women at the workplace (Jivani A, 2020). Technology in women's life plays an important role.
Because of Job segregation, women might be exposed to several work hazards than their male counterparts (Haw, 1982). To overcome such work hazards, a women-friendly work environment should be built. Women's empowerment emphasizes the creation of such an environment that promotes equality between men and women (Salgaonkar & Salgaonkar, 2009). This environment of equal values supports women's empowerment and development in the right way.
Women in today's world are not only employed in labor markets. The majority of women wage earners in India are self-employed. Women entrepreneurs are indirect and direct leaders in their communities in developing countries (Bullough et al., 2015). No arguments can be made with the effort to expand women's employment opportunities (Redefining Women's Work, 2000). Women's employment opportunities in both the employment and self–employment market contribute to increasing their representation in the world of work and supports workplace diversity.