‘In a room full of pussies, I’m the only one with a vagina.’ – Dame Julia Walsh in the television miniseries The Honourable Woman

#NotAllWomen are victims. #NotAllMen are the problem. But there’s enough of both to warrant this book.

Most women today are opting for careers over jobs, even if it requires them to play multiple roles with superhuman abilities. Meanwhile, men, at home and at work, struggle to come to terms with their changing priorities. And therein lies the chasm between male expectations and female ambition.

Own It tells women’s stories: the ugly, the happy, the rarely discussed, the unacknowledged, the whispered, the denied. Close to two hundred Indian women leaders across industries discuss the challenges they face in the Indian workplace and at home. Heads of companies, human resource directors and senior managers talk about issues like pay parity, harassment, promotion and maternity policies. Why is the workplace skewed against women and what are their own demons that keep them from breaking the glass ceiling?

Thought-provoking and controversial, Own It takes the challenges that confront women in the workplace head-on – without discounting the complexities of being a woman in an Indian home.

About the Author

Aparna Jain knows a thing or two about work, women and leadership. She has spent over twenty-three years in the technology and media domains, where she has held leadership roles that drove marketing strategy, brand and business development. She is also India's first certified Integral Master CoachTM and works with corporate heads in Indian industry. She is passionate about championing women leaders in the workplace, which requires working with men as much as women, and empowering them to overcome ‘women challenges’. When not coaching, Aparna loves reading a good mystery, listening to Coldplay and Bach, and travelling. In Integral terminology, she is an Ennea 7/ 8 Wing and an Upper Righter.