'Career women still have a long road to travel'

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'Women in India have made their mark'
'There is a glass ceiling for women at the top' 

With Women's Day coming up on March 8, rediff.com decided to speak to career women at the top of their game -- corporate hotshots in positions of professional power.

In this part, Shereen Bhan of CNBC TV 18 speaks her mind about issues related to professional career women.

What do you feel makes you a successful career woman? What is your advice to young women poised to start their careers?

I prefer to think of myself as a competent professional. Sucess carries with it the baggage of expectations. I have grown as a professional over the years and I think my ability to work with a team has been my biggest strength. I have also tried to be as versatile as possible which has helped me straddle both business and politics. Passion, commitment and the ability to withstand stress and pressure have helped as well.

My advice is: think of a job as a career. Have a vision of where you want to see yourself and what you want to do. Have patience and let money be at the bottom of your priority list at least when you start.

How are working women in India, across all sectors, faring, compared to women in other countries? Are they getting the right kind of jobs, salaries, promotions and status?

I dont have enough data to make a fair comparison but I would imgaine women in India are getting their due in terms of money, promotions and status but we have a long road to travel.

Is the men-women ratio skewed in favour of men in corporate India? Will it continue to be skewed and why? What can be done to augment the women workforce?

The ratio is skewed in favour of men but I see the gap closing.

Media for instance has already seen the ratio move towards a very healthy mix. The more traditional areas like manufacturing will continue to see the ratio in favour men but a lot of the new economy businesses will continue to
see an improvement.

For many potential career women striking a balance between home and work is often too challenging and they are lost to the workforce. What is your advice to women planning to attempt the balancing act?

There is no formula. It is a challenge and can work if everyone in the family is on the same page. Priorities must be clear and one muct communicate the same. Sometimes one will have to make sacrifices but that is what life is all about.