FEBRUARY 2013 |
www.opp-connect.com WORDS |Maneesha Chawla
OPP EDITORS
Battle of the sexes? A
s we rolled into 2013 safety, particularly the safety of women, was at the forefront of
our minds. The brutal rape that occurred in New Delhi on December 16th got the nation talking. In part fuelled by the media, our anger continued to mount and a month after the heinous incident took place we recall with clarity just how unsafe we really are; as well as how biased and gender skewed our society is. Facts that we all knew were repeatedly confi rmed to us North Indian women over the last four weeks. It was with this in mind that I began to think of safety in the context of working in real estate as a broker, dealing with people from all walks of life. We live in a place that can be lawless and lucrative – women brokers are a rare phenomenon here. Indian real estate, until recently, and in many places still, is a very unregulated profession. It is fuelled in part by black money transactions and offered those willing to speculate the chance to shoot for the stars. Land, traditionally managed by the village panchayat’s (tribunals) has changed hands and created machines like DLF and Unitech. The result has been a boom like none our country has ever seen. Millionaires (or the Indian Crore- pati) were created over night and for some the pot-holed surfaces they call roads truly are paved with gold. So I found myself looking for women brokers, in North India, to talk to. They work and operate in a profession that has the touchings of lawlessness and is extremely male- dominated. The answers, however, were surprising. Reassuring.
Both Rashmi Marwaha and Punam Kanwar agreed that the industry was male dominated; and when large amounts of money and messy family stakes are involved, untangling the mess can be time consuming and diffi cult. However they also agreed that often it was the fact that they were a woman, traditionally perceived as a nurturer and ruler of the family hearth, that meant they were taken seriously. Punam Kanwar, proprietor of Value Consultant in Delhi, agrees that it was a stretch for men to see her beyond that role though. To acknowledge that she would know a bit about fi nancing and funding and to
take her seriously. “I love my work and that makes it worth doing. Fortunately for us women, we have an advantage that the trust factor is higher. They see it to be a bit safer with a woman. Perhaps they think it’s because I don’t have a brain,” but she suspects that her clients keep coming back to her because she is a sharp shooter and calls things as they are. No run around.
Rashmi Marwaha who works with her cousin at Solutions b2b, suddenly found herself working as a broker because her cousin believed she had what it took: an outgoing personality, a good head for numbers and an eye for details. She believes that working in Gurgaon and dealing only with professionals that live and work in
more comfortable with me because I am a woman. Once that comfort factor is there, they feel happier and are happier to deal with me.” She also goes on to say that it’s all about proving yourself as a broker, rather than anything else. “If my clients are happy with me, then I am happy.”
What it boils down to is that, if you are a talented professional, who knows what they are talking about, then that is enough to forge a good working relationship. Kanwar believes that “once a comfort level sets in there is no problem… but setting that threshold is hard. Once you have established yourself, your clients will keep coming back.” She likens the relationship to the one most Indian families share with
INDIA | 35
Our editor in India, Maneesha Chawla, recognises that the inequality that women can face in the country needs addressing. After harrowing news in recent months, the question of safety for women brokers occurred to her. Having spoken to some successful names in the industry, she fi nds that the issues aren’t insurmountable
than any gender bias.” It’s establishing credibility. Kanwar believes that once she established herself she got a lot of support from the brokers and builders that had been around for a while and there was never any issues with them working with her or not trusting her. She believes that if you want to make a career out of such a profession then you will, but does add: “Sadly it’s the professionalism as a whole that is lacking.”
Although extremely upbeat about her work and facing its challenges head on, she does acknowledge that there are issues of being a woman in her line of work. She insists if you are street smart and clever, however, that you can avoid getting yourself into trouble, which is how most women in all professions
“Being a talented professional is enough to forge a good working relationship”
Fighting your side | Female brokers are rare in India and face challenges
the area has resulted in her not really having to transact with the type of person that would not trust her, or want to deal with her, because she is a woman. She speculates that perhaps if she worked in a state like UP or even parts of Delhi this might be different. It is for this reason that she also says she feels safe when meeting her clients at sites and showing them homes. Marwaha also agrees that being a woman has its advantages. “When a man brings his wife or daughter or mother with him, they connect and are
their jeweler. Once you have a good jeweler and you trust them, you will always go back, and it’s the same for brokerage. Whether you are a woman or a man does not matter in her opinion, just as long as you are good at your job. “More than gender bias it’s a feeling of not trusting any broker,” says Kanwar. “Unfortunately you don’t need a license [to practice], there is no minimum education requirement and no infrastructure in place. Anyone with a scooter or a cycle and some spare time can work as a ‘broker’ and that is bigger
tend to operate in our part of the world. She won’t meet clients anywhere but at her offi ce or theirs, she doesn’t do house calls. She also doesn’t encourage any of her staff (men or women) to either. She will not meet anyone outside of offi ce hours and insists, “people don’t mind, they are usually okay with it. If they are serious and its important, they will wait till the next morning.” Rashmi Marwaha tends to work and operate with her cousin and so fi nds that the question of safety has never even come up. On the few occasions she has had to be out late meeting clients, her cousin or other male representation from the offi ce have been with her. Punam Kanwar and Rashmi Marwah are both certain that more and more women will enter the real estate profession. Many of the top builders hire both men and women from the hospitality and service industries but Kanwar is a bit more skeptical about the number of women entrepreneurs that will be setting up their own brokerage fi rms and signing fat deals. She acknowledges that she lives and operates in a mans-world and feels safe doing so… after all how many women in India can say they have closed a 100 Crore deal?
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