When I joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1982, diplomacy was still a fairly male dominated field. The first woman in IFS, Ms. Muthamma’s struggles in an almost exclusively male profession, cleared some hurdles for women entrants in India. Women who came later, helped shatter other glass ceilings. At the time I joined, perceptual challenges remained. I would occasionally hear male colleagues complain about positive discrimination favouring women in the service, especially in postings abroad. The best way to preserve one’s dignity seemed not to seek or expect favours on account of one’s gender. I trained myself to think as a professional first and foremost.
The situation is a lot different now, with women comprising 26.5 percent of IFS. In 2021, women were almost 43 percent of the entrants to IFS. Women have served in almost every capacity at headquarters and have represented India in the most powerful and important countries as well as in countries in conflict. Currently, 23 women are leading India’s missions and posts. Women comprise one third of entrants to the civil services in India this year, the highest number till now. Moreover, women claimed the top 4 ranks, comprising 14 of the top 25 candidates this year. This is the second consecutive year that women candidates have secured the top three positions.
When I was posted as India’s High Commissioner to the UK, there was a lot of excitement about a woman being sent for the job after over six decades. I remained somewhat unmoved by this honour: after all, I saw myself as a professional diplomat!
One day, I received a small delegation of professional high achievers from the Indian diaspora. One of them was a woman, who had much success to her credit. She referred to the positive impact of a woman HC of India. “I see myself as a professional, first and foremost”, I demurred gently. She corrected me and pointed out the importance of a woman in position as a role model for other women in the diaspora. While I had always tried to mentor younger women, and had returned to my MLB Girls college in Bhopal for engagements with girls there, this interaction was a reminder to me of the responsibility all women owe to each other.
Earlier in June this year, the Oxford Union organised a panel discussion on the topic, ‘Ethnic Minority Women in Foreign Service’. I was initially a bit perplexed when I received an invitation to the event. “I’m not an ethnic minority woman in my country; we have no such differences in India”, I thought to myself. But the organiser of the event, Misha Mian, clarified that she wanted my perspectives of having dealt with the diaspora which comprises the ethnic minority in the UK, and earlier in South Africa. An undergraduate student of Global Affairs, Misha organised the panel as the Ethnic Minorities Officer of the Oxford Union in its Bicentenary year’s Trinity Term.
There were four outstanding women with me in that panel. Two serving ambassadors of their respective countries to the UK, Bangladesh HC, Saida Muna Tasneem, and Cuban Ambassador, Barbara Montalvo Alvarez. Former US Ambassador to Niger, Bisa Williams and Nnenne Iwuji-eme, former UK HC to Mozambique, and the UK’s first Black female career diplomat to be appointed High Commissioner, represented the ethnic minority in their respective countries.
Each participant highlighted the challenges they had faced and encouraged young women, especially from ethnic minorities, to fearlessly choose their career options. An interaction after the panel discussion provided those interested an opportunity to further discuss their concerns with the panelists.
The Oxford Union Society is a debating society founded by a group of young students at Oxford University in 1823, and is one of Britain’s oldest university unions. It is, without doubt, one of the world’s most prestigious private students’ societies. The choice of the subject of discussion, Ethnic Minority Women in Foreign Service, in itself, demonstrated the reason why this Society is regarded so highly!
In my 38 years in the Indian Foreign Service, I served in many countries. I came across diplomats from almost every country, especially at the United Nations in New York, where I served in the Indian Mission to the UN for almost four years. In all these years of service, I met a handful of women representing the ethnic minority in their country. I did come across black women diplomats representing the United States; in Accra, Ghana, when I first reached, the US ambassador and her deputy were both black women. I have had to wrack my brains for others! I know an Indian origin woman in the Belgian foreign service, who served in the Belgian consulate in Mumbai, and is serving in Istanbul after a posting in Cameroon. I also know a woman from the Pakistani diaspora in the South African foreign service. But apart from these few examples, I’m unable to recall other ethnic minority women in foreign services. I hear that recently, a Pakistani origin woman has joined the UK foreign service. I know of male diplomats of Indian origin, but can not recall any Indian origin woman in the UK foreign service.
In the UK, women from the south Asian diasporas are fairly visible in several professions. They have distinguished themselves as ministers and political leaders at various levels of the UK’s politics, including as members of parliament. Doctors, nurses, teachers, professors, journalists, engineers, researchers, bankers … Think of a profession and one can recall a woman from the diaspora in that field. The civil services, including foreign service, seems a bit of an exception. It’s time the talented young women from the diaspora start making their presence felt in this field as well. In this context, I recall Baroness Sandy Verma’s effort to mentor young diaspora women; she had bringing brought a large group of diaspora women to the high commission as part of this effort.
As HC in London, I had requested Grant Thornton to study the impact of the Indian diaspora in the UK. Thanks to their effort with FICCI, the report ‘Diaspora Effect’, brought out astonishing details of the diaspora’s contribution to the UK. As Baroness Usha Prashar reminded us at the launch, a number of Indian companies have women directors on their board.
It’s time now to study the contribution of diaspora women. Any takers ??
