The Eve Factor

The currency reform in India is expected to change many things, among them being, the way we look at spending vis-a-vis saving. As the banks are now flush with funds, interest rates are expected to fall, making people redraw their investment plans. 

I have been studying various opinions on this and while I have not yet been able to make up my mind on the perceived benefits of this reform, some being set only for the ‘long run’, as Dr. Manmohan Singh (rightly) quoted John Meynard Keynes in this context, “in the long run we are all dead”. But any reform takes a while to show its benefits and we all have no choice but to wait…and hope that we aren’t dead to reap the benefits of it!

It is noteworthy that many of the banks, in the private as well as public sector, have women at the helm of affairs - Arundhati Bhattacharya, SBI; Chanda Kochhar, ICICI; Shikha Sharma, Axis Bank; Shanti Ekambaram, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Usha Ananthasubramanium, Punjab National Bank; Naina Lal Kidwai, HSBC (India); Kalpana Morparia, J.P. Morgan (India); Kaku Nakhate, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (India). Not to forget Meera Sanyal who was the CEO of RBS (India) until she gave it up to test her fortunes in the political arena. Add to this the millions of homemakers who manage the money-affairs of the family, ensuring that the children get the best possible education and upbringing, and yet managing to put away something for the rainy day.

What is it that has helped these lovely women break the proverbial glass ceiling in what might be considered a male bastion? Compassion and people skills aside, these are women who have empowered themselves with the required knowledge and equipped themselves with the grit and determination, while at the same time cashing in on that X-factor.

I tried to break down the X-factor and started listing out what, in my opinion, were the constituents of that. 

1. Great at multi-tasking: Women have been proven to be gifted in this regard. They have the ability to handle many tasks at the same time by prioritising them. 
2. Averse to risk: Since I have no scientific study to prove this, I go by my gut feel in this regard! Women seem more careful about spending and investing, often by a quick and instinctive cost-benefit analysis. (This however may not be the rule!)
3. More Patient: This can probably be attributed to the nurturing instinct that (most) women carry within them and don’t mind waiting to see its benefits. They’d play it safe, check what’s best and aren’t in a hurry - things are often viewed, separating the long term from the short term. Nine-month trial periods (in most cases) prove they are patient, anyway!
4. Less testosterone, less aggression: So, this is the physio-biological benefit of being a women - less aggression mean a calmer head to take calculated and measured decisions.  
5. 6th sense: Okay, lets face it, women have that 6th sense! If anything seems too good, they’d be suspicious and cautious, and if it appears bad, they’d explore why. 
6. The devil is in the details: This is a fallout of 5. Women love going into details of everything - from a recipe (the size-shape of the vegetable to be cut), to putting together their wardrobe (coordinate the accessories), to planning a family holiday (where would we refuel - the car and the stomachs)…to financial planning (money to send the child into a college of her/his choice).
7. Take pains: It’s been shown that the pains a won goes through labour is the maximum a human can tolerate; a root canal comes only next. She’s blessed with strength and endurance so she’ll take what it takes to create the best!
8. More prepared: There are so many stereotypical walls that women have to break down. Since women know this isn’t an easy task, they prepare themselves. Would they jump into water if they didn’t know swimming? Highly unlikely, because they feel responsible to those dependent on them. So they prepare themselves with what it might take to better themselves - learn more, get tougher and work harder. 
9. Humility: Is this a sex related trait? I’m not sure! But I believe that women don’t find it as difficult to ask for help. This is an assumption. 
10. Stronger in the mind: The so called weaker sex may actually be the stronger one, making up for any physical weakness through a stronger, sharper mind.