Equality, please!

"And the Gender-Neutral Oscar Goes To..."

Photo courtesy of Kelly Blair

This morning, I came across a very interesting editorial recently posted on The New York Times. This opinion piece, which was written by Kim Elsesser, a research scholar at the Center for Study of Women at the University of California, Los Angeles, brings up a very interesting topic:

Why do we have separate female and male Oscars for best actresses and actors? And, if we are going to differentiate between the two when it comes to actors, then why the heck don't we do the same for directors and, as she refers to it, "directresses?"

She points out that separate is not equal, and she is absolutely right. If men and women can't be equally evaluated in their same profession, then that is not equality among the sexes. Also, there is no doubt that women are influencing Hollywood greatly.

Maybe it caught my attention because I'm hoping and dreaming for equality among the sexes, or maybe because I truly believe that women can be just as successful and hard-working as men. Either way, this piece brings up some interesting points and it's definitely something worth the read.

India's women are in control

Chanda Kochhar, CEO & MD, ICICI Bank

Barriers for women may finally be tumbling

While no woman has ever held a leading position on Wall Street, women in India are climbing up the corporate ladder, specifically when it comes to banking.

According to an article by The New York Times, women in India are actually running some of the nation's largest banks. Women like Chanda Kochar, who runs the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI), are closing multi-billion dollar deals everyday.

In India, companies like HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS and Fidelity International, JPMorgan Chase, and Royal Bank of Scotland are all dominated by businesswomen. In a country like India, which is often criticized by the West for their different traditions and beliefs, progress and success for women is actually more attainable.

India's financial industry, which is younger than that of Europe and America, has succeeded in giving women the rights they deserve as corporate leaders. While in the West, women still continue to struggle in order to prove themselves to be as competent as their male counterparts when it comes to business.

The fact that these women are able to achieve such great accomplishments, while maintaining their culture and beliefs sets a great example for women, especially women living in the East.