Succeeding the balancing act of women

Environmental Scientist and Country Representative of IUCN Shiranee Yasaratne shares her experience and insights of woman as an individual, mother and manager

Women are developing and adopting individualized learning strategies and mechanisms to enable them to survive and succeed within the corporate world. However, the numerical dominance of women managers may create tension between their individual identities as women and their managerial identities, due to the predominance of masculine practices and values within an organisation.

The maintenance of masculine ideals and practices in an organisation could also result in the downplaying of women’s achievements. Yet, time and again it has been revealed, that female leaders outperform their male counterparts in a majority of management skills including communication, teamwork, resourcefulness, goal setting, planning, performance standards, decisiveness and facilitating change, while both males and females remain on equal ground in areas such as technical expertise, delegation and self-confidence .

Although, females have been successful in breaking the glass ceiling that prevented them from reaching their true potential, the progress has been slow. The Bottom Line special correspondent talks to the Country Representative of The World Conservation Union (IUCN), Shiranee Yasaratne on her achievements in a male dominated corporate world. Educated at Ladies College, Colombo, Shiranee Yasaratne is the third born in a family of four. Yasaratne’s father was attached to the public services, while her mum took on the role of dedicated housewife and mother. After completing her primary education at Ladies College, Yasaratne entered the University of Colombo where she graduated with first class honors in Zoology and also earned a Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Gene Technology. She was among the first batch of students to undertake environmental studies as a subject at the university, and was also the first environmental officer to be recruited by the Central Environmental Authority.

Today, Yasaratne is a proud mother of three young adults, and has a successful career to boast of, with over 15 years of service at the Central Environmental Authority, where she reached the position of Deputy Director General prior to moving on to the role of Country Representative at the IUCN, where she serves to date.

WOMEN AT THE TOP

Q) What incidents in your childhood inspired you to venture into the field of environment?

A) Well, as kids we were taught, that what ever we do, we should do it well. That lesson was built into us at a very early stage in our lives, and I suppose I did the same with my children as well. .But really, it was just by chance that I got into this field. When I entered the university to study for my honors degree in Zoology, I opted to take on environmental science as the special subject, since it had just been introduced. Soon after completing my university education, I got the opportunity to join the CEA as its first environmental officer.

Q) How have females including yourself who have ventured into fields that are more male oriented, fared?

A) I have always worked in a male dominated society. The CEA had lots of male employees. But, I believe that if you have the expertise that is needed in that particular field, and if you can be in line with the way you are supposed to think, then men will respect you for that. I think women are far more conscious of details than men. That trait is inbuilt in us and that is what actually takes a woman forward, whereas, men try to overlook the detail and look only at the larger picture. The fact that you are a perfectionist could be annoying to men. But, basically I have never had any bad experiences just because of the fact that I am a woman.

Q) Do you have any regrets with regard to your career decision?

A) Not at all. I really value the fact that I got state sector exposure, which I think is absolutely essential. In the state sector, you have to work against great odds. Normally there is no budget allocated for what you do. So you have to go through all the red tape and bureaucracy that government departments generally have. This can some times deter you if you are very enthusiastic and trying to move forward. These things certainly affect your ability to move forward, but at the same time, it also gives you the good grounding and the wonderful expertise that is necessary to go forward.

Q) What challenges and obstacles did you have to face in your professional life?

A) I must admit that it was never plain sailing. It was always difficult for me, since my three children were born one after the other. So I had quite a task, pursuing a career which was quite demanding, and looking after the needs of the three kids. The children had to be educated; I had to look after their welfare and look into their studies, just like any other woman would do. Just because you are a working mother you can’t forget your duties and responsibilities. You have to juggle both roles and it is not the easiest thing to do. But of course in Sri Lanka we have the extended family concept, and my mother was the guiding light who really brought them up. Some times women tend to think that they should stop working once they become mothers, but I am must admit that I am really happy that I pursued a career, especially since the children have grown up and are now busy pursuing their own goals in life. Of course, you never reach the heights that you plan to reach on a platter; there are pitfalls, there are problems and there are issues that you have to deal with. I think the more you deal with these issues you tend to raise your bar a little more each time, and what you once thought was a problem a couple of years ago may not seem like an issue as go along. You have to realize that you can’t reach the top without all the pitfalls, challenges and obstacles that go with it. That is something our youngsters need to learn.

Q) Did your family support you in your decision to be a career woman?

A) My husband was a businessman, and unfortunately he passed away a year and half ago. He was someone who understood the value of education and encouraged me to pursue a career. He was an anchor and a great support to us. He was never offended by the fact that I was pursuing my own career; in fact he was very proud of me. I got all the encouragement from him and if you look at the equation you actually need that encouragement from your spouse. Lots of women don’t get the support they need. But a woman also has to realize that family is important and therefore you have to spend quality time with them. Some people just go about doing what they have to do, and forget the fact that they have a family, and suddenly when they realize that, it’s simply too late.

Q) How did you balance your demanding career with family life, to ensure that everyone was happy at the end of the day?

A) Well, during the years that the children really needed me, I was working for government. We know that government usually has much more tight working times. It was easier, since I knew what my working time was. I would put in all my effort during that time, and then have time for the children and family in the evenings. My mother used to help out with the children while I was at work. I believe that a woman should never forget her role as a mother and housewife. Sometimes you tend to forget that and then the marriage suffers. That is why we have so many broken marriages today. With all the globalisation and exposure we have today, our girls are far more exposed to society than we ever were, and that I think is good and bad in a way. The balancing act is very important and that grounding has to come from us parents. We have to instil the right values in our children.

Q) Do you think women are as strong as men when it comes to facing challenges and taking the right decisions?

A) I think women are stronger; In any case, they are used to juggling lots of things at the same time. Women are able to cope with tragedy more resiliently than men.

Q) Women are considered emotional animals. As such do you think they could take the right decisions when needed?

A) Perhaps that is one problem that women face and very often I find myself grappling with that problem, because women do have a lot of emotions. You can’t be that person `made of steel’, which you try to portray. You take a decision and you suffer with it. Sometimes we tend to rule so much with the heart and not with the head, that if we do rule with the head, we go back and suffer for a long time, because you are emotionally upset by what you have done. But then you have to encounter that in life. Sometimes you need that exterior which is necessary to live in a male dominated world. You also need a family that understands you and gives you the support, because sometimes it can be very lonely at the top.

Q) What is your message to females who are keen to progress in their career?

A) One message is that every thing is never rosy, there is always a cycle with ups and downs that one has to face. You have to take those opportunities, push yourself forward, without letting yourself go down. Always aspire to do whatever you do to the best of your ability.