Becky Blab

Try reconciling this conundrum: Bedi, India’s first woman Police Services officer, has insinuated that gender bias is responsible for her non-selection for the post of Delhi Police Commissioner; in the meanwhile, Patil has been sworn in as India’s first female president and her platform is unapologetcially pro-women.

In the former case, Bedi claims that she may have missed out because it is not “women’s nature” to network in the same way as men, i.e. go straight home after work and not to the pub. While I must say that I do know women who socialize after work and have “booze friends”, I can’t comment on what is or is not our nature. What I can say is that she has a point–that the police is notoriously a men’s club and practically has women’s subordination written into its membership rules. Which makes it all the more amazing that Bedi has fared as well as she has; and all the more tragic that she has not cracked the glass ceiling.

While Patil seems to have done so herself, Bedi notes that recently two other women have not gotten top posts: IFS officer Veena Sikri was passed over as Foreign Secretary and Reva Nayyar lost out as Cabinet Secretary. Is Patil merely a poster woman? Her post is mainly symbolic. I surely hope not, but the evidence is not in her favour (click here for another good opinion piece) .