#ChooseToChallenge: Challenge the world to bring in change

Today's women are successful, goal-oriented and bold enough to conquer the world. She has the power to perform many tasks and successfully deliver exemplary results in her job role.

While women have achieved massive success, what still prevails is sidelining her in taking risks, not giving her significant projects or judging her potentials. Women are still considered amongst the weaker section of society due to the society's age-old customs and traditional mindset.

Vrutika Dawda, Director at IdeateLabs, a digital marketing agency that is committed to creating path-breaking strategies and creative solutions for brands. Vrutika is actively involved in the company's Corporate Affairs, Corporate Finance, Legal and Compliance among others, while she also looks after the overall business operations.

She is a self-driven, growth-oriented professional-turned-intrapreneur with an ability to turn challenges into opportunities. Her ability to achieve beyond what is imagined possible is the defining force in her leadership.

With a deep-rooted interest in numbers, she began her professional journey as a math professor for various private coaching classes post which she made a career shift into the finance industry. Before her stint with IdeateLabs, Vrutika worked at Reliance Infocomm and was responsible for automating and setting up internal processes for procurement of Broadband Products and Services.

At GroupM, Vrutika was the core team member for the Specialist Units (all non-print) and was the lead in setting up the Commercial and MIS processes, as well as automating multiple functions that were traditionally manually driven.

Vrutika Dawda shares, "Time has arrived for all the women out there to challenge tolerating societal taboos and not remain a silent spectator. Challenge has the power to change the world and bring in transformation. One can change the complete outlook and perception by challenging and standing firm to it.

As women, we must step forward and raise a voice against all the inequality and bias we encounter in our routine lives. It is essential to understand that if we don't speak up for ourselves, no one else will."

So how can we challenge the world to bring in change? Vrutika shares, "The answer is straightforward; all it needs is an action-oriented approach to bias, talking about your success and celebrating it, appreciating other women achievers, and helping each other during challenging situations.

A woman for women is a very crucial factor that matters the most. What needs to stop immediately is calling out names to other women, judging her based on her choices, pulling legs to attain success, passing negative comments, or demeaning her."

Practice makes one perfect. Hence, it's essential to implement them in our daily lives.

"Raising awareness on gender inequality is crucial. It is the first step towards change. Standing up and fighting inequality is the need of the hour. Unless women do it, things will remain constant, and the restrictions or gender-based bias will continue forever.

Women need equal opportunities, equal job titles, equal compensation, respect, and a positive outlook towards their capabilities," adds Vrutika.

She says, "Though it seems to be simple, it is not that easy. Change is time-consuming and involves a lot of consistent efforts. Sticking to our decisions is of utmost importance.

On the professional front, the organization has to give equal chance and frame policies that are gender neutral. Women must get equal opportunities to be in leadership positions, take risks, drive huge teams, innovate, and deliver the best results. "

Challenging stereotype is a grizzled battle. Many strong men and women have played an important role in changing lives, improving women's living standards, and questioning the status quo. Continuing with these actions further with much more dedication and vigour will further improvise conditions.

Many women are still struggling to breathe freely and are burdened to follow what is instructed. There are many crimes and violence that women are subjected to. In order to stop these evils of society, it is critical to raise our voice.

Report complaints, take immediate actions, and ensure severe punishment are given to the culprits and justice is served. Let us all #ChoosetoChallenge and make this world a better place to live in!