Savita Bhaskaran
Auckland, October 16, 2024
Recruitment bias, racism and bullying are frequently experienced by professional Indian migrant women in New Zealand management roles.
New research published by AUT professional staff member and postgraduate student Savita Bhaskaran notes that two-thirds of the women interviewed for her Master of Business thesis had experienced the glass ceiling in their careers.
The phrase ‘glass ceiling’ was first coined in the 1980s and is described as the unseen blockades that impede women’s career advancement in middle management.
But far from being victims, the women have developed strategies to overcome workplace barriers. These strategies include understanding and adapting to the local work culture and multicultural workplaces common in New Zealand; building robust professional networks; being vocal about career ambitions and proactive in finding new opportunities; and understanding the value of family support.
Ms Bhaskaran undertook the thesis to address a gap in knowledge about the experiences of a growing cohort of employees who contribute to the country’s economy. The 12 women who participated in the study had at least two years of managerial experience in New Zealand.
“It was a privilege to hear from these women, who have made huge changes in their lives as migrants. Most of them had to put in a tenfold effort, including by requalifying to prove their credibility to their employer and to gain equal status and acknowledgement as New Zealand Pākehā women. Now they are forging ahead in local organisations and ensuring their unique expertise and potential is realised,” she said.
“As Indian women, our culture, academic learning and experiences are of significant benefit to New Zealand organisations, and I hope this research will help raise awareness of the specific issues that can arise in the workplace and ways they can be addressed.”
Recommendations
The necessity for more inclusive workplaces for Indian migrant women, and other minority employees, is becoming clearer as the country’s ethnic diversity grows. By 2043, the Asian population in New Zealand is projected to comprise 24% of the population and become the second-largest ethnic group.
Recommendations from Mrs Bhaskaran’s thesis include:
- Fostering welcoming and inclusive workplaces – the women surveyed reported making deliberate efforts to ‘fit in’, sometimes at the expense of their own identity. Organisations can improve cultural competence and understanding that differences are beneficial. This could include a focus on receiving feedback from minority and marginalised groups.
- Effective monitoring of reports by minority group women of bullying and harassment, as well as microaggressions, is crucial for organisations’ human resources departments.
- Increased representation of Indian migrant women on senior leadership teams and ensuring the provision of appropriate training and career opportunities to facilitate engagement at this level.
Read Savita Bhaskaran’s AUT Master of Business thesis: Indian Migrant Women Managers’ Experiences of the Glass Ceiling in New Zealand
Savita Bhaskaran is a PA & Team Co-ordinator Communications at Auckland University of Technology.
