“Male and female are the opposite wheels of the same cart” goes an adage. True enough, the concept of co-education as well as co-working in an office by both the genders- male and female- has become generally accepted and widely in vogue. Men and women working together, with the mutual efforts, skills and ideas have proved to be productive socially and organizationally. It is important also in the sense that it carries the essence of both genders being equal and henceforth emboldens the concept of the equality.
History has it, women, before Industrial Revolution, were not allowed to come out except for shopping. Even the age of mass production did not mark any noteworthy presence of women in management. In fact, it was only after the Second World War that women started feeling comfortable coming out for jobs though their presence was still hazy in terms of equality in compensation. They would not get as much salary as their male counterparts for the job of the same nature.
Now it seems it has been different. Women have not just started registering their presence in management; they have also started urging to set up a management entirely managed by women. The reason behind this, as they propound, is that by operating in a single gender office set-up, the organization will be able to surge up the sense of equality and the productivity of organization.
“We have collected a deposit of 73 million rupees in the meager time span of eight months.” says Anita Hada, the branch manager of Development and Credit Bank pvt. Ltd., which is the first office managed and operated entirely by women. Advocates of single gender office set-up point out that it is justified because women have been suppressed since the time immemorial. “Nepalese societies are dominated by males.” Hada further shares “we have an equal right to do something to airlift ourselves into the realm of equality.” Hada says her institution wants to set up an example in the society in the term of service catering as well as that of efficiency. “We hardly get any grievances. Our management is smooth. Our clients don’t have to wait to get the service.” She furthers “so we have got satisfied and loyal customers. Actually, even if managed by women-a dominated class, our motto is to make our clients feel the difference. We have very amicable business ambience. We personally attend to our clients. Our customers say that our service is the best. We have succeeded in making our clients realize that they are our assets.” These kinds of business vestures, as they argue, will not just prove prolific but they will also promote women. “We are sure to be in profit this year. We are shortly converting ourselves into a commercial bank.” Hada puts forth “Our kind of management empowers women. No matter how many provisions are sanctioned for women if they are not able to reap the benefits from them, the so-called provisions will only be hoaxes. Women themselves have to awake as we did.”
However, single gender offices don’t boast up as many benefits as Hada claimed they would. If there are only females in an organization they are prone to spend most of the time gossiping with each other, which is not generally believed to be the favorite pastime of males. There is certainly no chance of harassment in a single gender office, nor that of flirting, and work is usually done smoothly. However, presence of male colleagues by their side may put some hold on their talkative nature, as they may have to associate and compare themselves with the “less talkative” male colleagues. Also, the offices consisting of just single sex- male-male or female- female- can have deterrent impacts on the psychology of the work force. The offices turn mundane and spiritless. “Single gender offices lack creativity.” reveals Narayan Prasad Sharma Psychologist & Lecture of Tri-Chandra Campus. “They also create some tough managerial problems.” Sharma says “psychologically, women have short term goals while men have long term goals. Thus, women are prompt and apt at solving short term problems and vice versa. Only balanced ratio of male and female in management ensures efficiency, creativity and long-term existence of organizations.”
Similarly, women may not be able to perform the tasks which are abrasive and physically challenging, contrary to the male workers who are believed to be physically stronger, and furthermore, long and odd hours may not be reasonable for the female employees, regarding their physical capability and culture that does not very much entertain females staying out of their homes late hours. Similarly, in the organizations with only male employees, there would be more bicker among the colleagues, based on the belief that males have naturally more aggressive nature than that of the females. Presence of some female colleagues could reduce such probability to some extent as it’s supposed that males are bound to become quite submissive and restraint in the presence of their female colleagues. While males may be tough and persistent, given their manly nature, but they may lack the qualities assumed to be significantly in the females like being caring, sympathetic and emotive. Generally it’s believed that a man or a woman may lack the qualities of the sexes opposite to them. But it’s not the hard and fast rule though, as both male and female may bear the assumed qualities of the opposite sex other than the ones believed to be their own. On the top of that, both kinds of single gender offices provoke ego-related hassles and gender biased-ness. “When the employers cannot be in touch of negative sexes, they develop bias. Decision making becomes irksome due to the biased-ness.” says Sharma. Businesses generally have to cater to clients of both sexes. There remains a chance that the employees might not be able to understand the taste and preferences of clients of opposite sex. “The employees working in the single gender set-up are not likely to understand the ins and outs of all the customers.” Sharma adds.
Socially however, some scholars believe single gender offices prove boon to the societies like ours where women are backward and suppressed by males. “This concept surely encourages women who have been dominated over the ages.” shares Rewat Prasad Kharel, Lecturer of Sociology at Tri-Chandra Campus and also an advocate “it also proves that women are equally capable of doing any kind of business. It is really good message to the society which has always believed that women are appendages to men.” Single gender set-up, according to Kharel, builds up capacities in woman. “Involvement of women in organization is necessitated by the society if it wants to ensure justice and equality. Offices run by women are simply marvels.” concludes Kharel.
A neglected side of the coin is that single gender office is generally mistaken for an office set-up entirely manned by female. It is only because of this misjudgment that experts as well as women right activists are found to egg on it. What if some males came about with an office manned entirely by males? “Everybody will start bitching about It.” shares Ratnamani Nepal, a lecturer of rural sociology at Padma Kanya Campus. It is age when a mutual and equal relation between a male and a female has to be fostered. Literally, it is high time that we let women feel that they are equally important in a dual gender office set-up. “Women at village are illiterate and craven. Operating an office all by women and blowing their own trumpet by saying that they have finally eradicated the vicious state of woman cannot be justified at any rate.” Nepal furthers. “It might be good at short run, but it will lead to an unjust society at long-run. We are far better off making an office ambience in such a way that women can grow among men.”
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