The willingness to listen with empathy is something that is ingrained within most women. One might call it the “Ma” factor. This coupled with their intuitive sixth sense serves them well in either pre-empting potential issues or in dealing with them in a balanced manner if and when the problem crops up. 

Walking the tightrope

Empathy, Intuition and Balance are attributes I have observed firsthand among many women bureaucrats, during my personal and business interactions with them. I have seen them walking the proverbial tight rope, endeavoring to balance their responsibilities at home while being accountable on the work front. 

It is not unusual to see hundreds of people in districts and talukas waiting outside the door of the officer in charge. When the officer in power is a woman, the common people wait even more expectantly. Part of this has to do with their belief that the woman officer will be more considerate and amenable to listening to their issues. In some cases, it is almost akin to expectations people have from their mother towards receiving an empathetic hearing and resolutions of their challenges.

With Power comes Responsibility

The Spiderman movies popularized the adage, ‘With power comes responsibility’. I have seen women bureaucrats exemplifying this in their behavior. When they are given due power (empowerment), they go beyond responsibility (to exhibit accountability and ownership). This is visible in the far reaching impact of their actions, including last mile implementation of public beneficiary schemes sponsored by the government. More often than not, their emotional involvement and passion in implementing various schemes impacts their personal life, making the tightrope walk more challenging for them.

The sheer passion with which these superwomen undertake their work responsibilities leaves one awestruck. At times, this is at the cost of their own health and wellbeing. I have had the opportunity to observe a lady bureaucrat taking feedback and issuing directions to ensure proper implementation of a program, while admitted in the ICU.

Women bureaucrats who have school-going children and aged parents in their families can be seen juggling their domestic and work responsibilities. In fact, political will management is an extremely challenging underlying task which forms a part of their tackling grievances while overseeing implementation of Government schemes on ground. 

Observing a woman bureaucrat at work might remind you of the ‘Navrasas’of life being enacted by a single person on the stage of life, before the populace of the district or the state at large. 

It is not just work and domestic responsibilities. These women are somehow magically able to carve out time to explore other facets of their multi-faceted persona. Some of them express themselves through their writing. Others find their voice in singing while some of them are accomplished dancers or adept at numerous other literary and non-literary pursuits. This diversity of expression is visible in the holistic approach they bring to the different issues they deal with every day in their professional life. 

On a different note, while I wrote this article for women bureaucrats, a lot of this holds true for so many other wonderful women out there in different professions. 

A salute to the never-say-die spirit of Indian woman bureaucrats, and women in general!