We constantly talk of women empowerment, but is this practised? Picture this: A firm with 45 employees, and a woman operating the eight-colour press. This is a non-existent scenario. There are a few women CEOs at the helm. But too few when you consider there are two and a half lakh firms in our industry.

Time and again a woman needs to battle the prejudices and prove a point. This needs to change.

Having said this, there are thousands of women in our industry who are trying to overcome the patriarchal attitudes and hostile work environment; and excel in their own little way.

Consider the following:

- Many more women handling pre-press systems and colour proofing
- Many women operating digital print, be it cutsheet or even a wide-format kit or a CTP device
- Many women managers in purchase, as well as overseeing ops in publishing or among the top brands
- Many more women in post-press department. Sorting, inspection, fabrication

And so, today, on the occasion of International Women's Day let’s hope for many more of these successes. After all, no industry can turn it's back to 50% of the population and hope to grow.