Okay so gender equality, right? It’s been rattling around in my brain lately while I sit here in Faridabad at like 5:35pm with the ceiling fan doing its usual half-hearted wobble and my neck already stiff from staring at this screen too long. I used to think I had this whole equality thing figured out—like yeah sure women should get paid the same, duh—but then real life keeps smacking me with how uneven everything still is and honestly I feel kinda dumb for not noticing sooner.
How Gender Equality Messes With Careers (Including Mine)
I remember applying for this remote gig last year, felt pretty good about my chances, nailed the interviews, then ghosted. Later found out through a mutual connection they went with a guy who had basically the same resume except he negotiated harder. And yeah maybe I suck at negotiating but also maybe gender equality (or lack of it) played a quiet part in how confident everyone felt walking into that room.
I’ve watched female friends grind twice as hard for promotions that should’ve been obvious and still get “you’re great but we need someone who can travel more” code for bullshit excuses. Meanwhile I’ve gotten away with being mediocre at best in some roles just because nobody questioned it. That part stings. Gender equality impacts careers by forcing companies to at least pretend to look at talent instead of gender stereotypes but man it’s slow and ugly and full of people (me included sometimes) who benefit from the old way without admitting it.
Like seriously I once sat in a team call nodding along while a senior woman got talked over three times in five minutes and I didn’t say anything because I was scared of rocking the boat. Embarrassing. Anyway if you’re reading this maybe start paying attention to who speaks first in meetings and who gets credit. It’s eye-opening in the worst/best way.
The Part Where Gender Equality Meets Money and It Gets Awkward
Pay is where it gets personal fast. I got a 12% bump last year after asking once. My colleague Priya asked twice, had better numbers, got 4%. Same role, same team, different chromosomes. She laughed it off but I could tell it hurt. I felt gross about my own raise after that—like I stole something without meaning to.
The gender pay gap isn’t some abstract statistic when it’s someone you grab chai with every afternoon. I’ve started sharing salary ranges when people ask now even though it feels weird and vulnerable because keeping quiet just keeps the problem alive. Check out whatever the latest Oxfam India gender pay report or ILO data says—numbers keep changing but the pattern doesn’t. Women still earning less for same work. In 2026. Wild.
I’m not gonna pretend I’m some activist hero here. Half the time I’m just trying to pay rent and not screw up too badly. But once you see the paycheck difference it’s hard to unsee.
Power, Gender Equality, and Why I Still Feel Weird About It
Power’s the trickiest bit. I’ve been in rooms where decisions get made and it’s still mostly dudes doing the deciding even when the smartest person in the room is a woman who’s been there longest. Gender equality is supposed to shift that but shifting power feels threatening when you’re the one who currently has disproportionate access to it—even if that access is mediocre and unearned.
I caught myself once defending a bad male boss because “he’s not that bad” when a female coworker was calling out real issues. Cringe. Learning moment. Gender equality impacts power by making space for more voices but it also means the old guard (sometimes me by proxy) has to give up comfort. That’s uncomfortable as hell.
Anyway I’m still figuring it out. I try to shut up more in meetings now and amplify when someone gets interrupted. Small, imperfect steps. Probably still doing it wrong half the time.
So yeah that’s my current messy brain dump on how gender equality impacts careers, pay, and power while the fan creaks and my chai gets cold. It’s not fixed, I’m not fixed, the system definitely isn’t fixed. But noticing the cracks feels like the least bad place to start.
