I hate being called 'sweetie' or 'honey': Indra Nooyi

Asserting that women in the workplace and society deserve equal treatment, PepsiCo's India-born CEO Indra Nooyi today said she "hates" being called "sweetie" or "honey" and women should be treated as executives or people and not called such names. "We still have to have equal treatment. I hate being called sweetie or honey at times which I still am called. All that has got to go. We have got to be treated as executives or people rather than (being called) honey, sweetie, babe. That has to change,"

Nooyi said at the Women In the World Summit presented by renowned journalist and author Tina Brown in association with the New York Times. Nooyi said women have been in the "revolution mode" for many many years, from getting entry into the "boys club" to demanding parity in pay. She said women have "clawed" their way into the workplace by getting their degrees, good grades in school, which made the male counterparts "take note of us." "We clawed our way into the revolution in this work place. Then we needed parity in pay, not yet there we are still fighting for that," she said.

She said while there is interaction of helping women in the workplace, the fact that has been ignored is how to help this interaction between the woman and her personal life as she assume the role of a daughter, wife, mother and daughter-in-law. Nooyi, among the most powerful and influential business women in the world, said companies and individuals have not yet talked about the "big revolution" of how societies, governments, companies and families help women as they give birth, take care of young children and aging parents and at the same time manage a career.