Born in a village of Uttarakhand in a middle-class family, Ms. Meenaxi was raised in Jaipur, Rajasthan, where she acquired her school education and went on to complete her BA Economics (honors). After one year in Rajasthan State Service in Jaipur, she joined Indian Economic Service in 1993 and served Government of India in eight different departments and was posted in different parts of India also. At Bharat Petroleum, she is Chief Vigilance Officer for the last one and a half years.
A mother of two daughters, she is an avid runner. She has run several half marathons and also participated in the Tata Marathon in January this year. Yoga is another of her passions, which she has been practicing for the last 19 years. "With yoga, I could overcome many ailments and it has really made me a very disciplined and balanced person," she says.
Embracing Equality
The essence of gender equality is equal opportunity and responsibility without any relevance of gender. It is this bias-free environment that makes Bharat Petroleum an equal opportunity employer, where women work shoulder-to-shoulder with their male counterparts, with a shared vision. Regarding her take on equal opportunities for men and women in professional life and her experience in this regard, Ms. Meenaxi has this to share:
"Regarding equal opportunities, I feel personally that many people like us who are from an urban background are fortunate at the outset because we got many opportunities by way of a better education and other privileges. Personally, my father was a very progressive person. He gave both his daughters good opportunity to study and he was never in a hurry to get us married. So instead of the traditional age of marriage, about 21, I got married at 27, and my sister at 28. She is a professor. Thus, we prioritized our initial career goals. This milestone in life makes a lot of difference."
Adding to this, she is also quick to point out the societal pre-conceptions about gender roles and division of labour, whereby men are perceived as bread-earners and women as a primary caregivers. These cultural perceptions are not of women’s making, and yet women end up being deeply impacted by them.
Another aspect she points out is the significant difference between organized and unorganized sectors when it comes to opportunities for women.
"Many women who are employed in the organized sector enjoy good and equal opportunities. Reciprocally, it is up to us to work really hard to prove ourselves. Once we clear the civil services, men as well as women need strive to prove their caliber and build a reputation, and accordingly, assignments come your way. It is your reputation that precedes you," she emphasizes.
The mantra for success
On how women can achieve success while maintaining work-life balance and avoiding burnouts, and what makes a woman a "superwoman", Ms. Meenaxi quips, "We are all just humans and associating with the term "superwoman" makes women expecting too much from themselves. And if you want to do everything on your own, it can eventually lead to a lot of stress. So, women should delegate work to their spouse and other family members, and at the office, one should delegate responsibilities to your subordinates, under your supervision. This way, your team and you yourself can achieve more, without the label of "superwoman”. This approach of shared responsibility also helps you in developing a great support system that will take you further while avoiding burnouts. In fact, all achievers, male or female, need a support system – in the family as well as in the corporate arena. Lastly, in this equation, mental strength is very important for women. If you decide something, you will be able to do it. That mental strength comes to you over time. And with experience, you build a great determination to achieve something truly worthwhile.”