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Abhilasha Chumbalkar

Senior Software Developer

Abhilasha creates and implements some of Civica's high quality software solutions. Her typical day comprises of technical discussions, creating functional software, peer code reviews, testing and product releases.

Why is it important for women to support each other in the workplace?

In our working day, it’s very easy to get caught up in our responsibilities and achieving deadlines, which admittedly can feel lonely sometimes. Simply talking to one another and feeling encouraged by other women makes a massive difference. By sharing our experiences with each other, we can find solutions together.

How do you think gender-equal workplaces can be achieved?

Providing equal opportunities and equal pay to both genders will over time support a balanced ratio of employees. For teams where there are few women, we need to consider what job descriptions are being used when hiring a candidate. Is there an unconscious bias in favouring men, even if a woman is just as capable? What are the reasons for women turning down roles in those teams? Is it a lack of visible role models? Are talented women being overlooked for promotions? We should talk to the women in these teams and find out if they’re facing specific challenges based on their gender to turn things around.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced, or bias you’ve fought, to get to the position you’re in now?

During my seven-year career, the organisations and teams I’ve been a part of have all accepted me as I am. I feel very fortunate to not face gender bias issues, which I put down to the efforts of my predecessors for creating such environments.

What more can women do to motivate each other in the workplace?

We should encourage each other to share our views and ideas and appreciate and acknowledge each other’s’ efforts. Women in leadership should also take the time to share their experiences and mentor upcoming leaders too.