Gender, Power, and Psycho-sexual Well-being: (In)Equalities in the Corporate Sector of Gurugram

Gurugram, the “Millennium City” of the north Indian state of Haryana, is known for its corporate globalized character owing to its rapid technological and infrastructural development and emergence as a major financial hub. Though it is a city of many contradictions because of the distinct marking between the rural and urban Gurugram and an uneven, privatized development, yet the representative image of the city is that of hyper-urbanity, aspiration, upward mobility, and global exposure. The presence of the world’s leading progressive corporate headquarters and tech giants effortlessly projects the image of meritocracy, diversity consciousness, and inclusivity within the city’s professional landscape. However, beneath this great glass façade of progress and inclusivity lies a more complex reality. Despite the growing discourse around bias, diversity, and gender equity, the representation of gender within the corporate scene of Gurugram is often skewed in favor of men, whereas women are still struggling to navigate the treacherous terrains of the corporate world amidst the convenient co-existence of growth and persistent bias. This article is an attempt to explore the lived experiences of female professionals in the colossal corporate sector of Gurugram, based on a short survey data and unstructured interviews, exploring whether the apparent projection of gender inclusion is a reality of the substantive transformation in gender dynamics of a progressive city or is merely symbolic. The survey, however, shows that there has also been a visible shift toward positive change, and women are now equally claiming leadership roles and calling out bias.