A.R. Rahman's Journey to the Oscars - International Indian

WOMENBritish Asian Women:forget the stereotype!th16ANNI V ERSARYToday, the modern day British Asian woman is the complete opposite of what she is perceivedto be. So what if she doesn’t go out clubbing or bring her boyfriends home?by: Sarina MenezesAsian women are meek, submissive, and have no controlover their future! Asian women are generally living a lifewhere they are not allowed to do certain things becausetheir religion does not allow them to!Comparing the many Asian women of all ages and socialbackgrounds, they do have far more control over their lives. So what ifthey don’t go out clubbing or bring their boyfriends home. Does that meanthat they are backward?Why isn’t the real story of women in our community being told?Why are we always perceived to be some sort of helpless victims whoneed support at every encounter? Today, the modern day British Asianwoman is the complete opposite of what she is perceived to be. Ifjournalists, writers and TV producers want an example of what BritishAsian women are really like, all they need to do is ask rather thanIs it true?How many times have youheard this? If it isn’t writteninto the token Asian storylineof mainstream TV drama in theUK, you can read it in the presswhere there will be a story whichsuggests that Asian women areliving in closets somewhere.But the truth of the matter is thatBritish Asians know this is nottrue simply because we knowAsian women rule the lives oftheir households. They are notonly independent but they maketheir non-Asian counterpartslook like novices.continue to spread old and datedstereo-types.Vimmi Singh is the CEO ofDynamic Asian Women’s Network(DAWN) in the UK with thevision of freeing, connecting andtransforming the potential of Asianwomen. Before setting up DAWN,Vimmi worked with JP MorganChase, ANZ Investment Bank.She has an MBA from the LondonBusiness School and is a qualifiedChartered Accountant and CompanySecretary. Vimmi has interactedand worked extensively with Asianwomen in the UK and was on theadvisory panel of Different Women,Different Places, a study of blackand minority ethnic women leadersOn the work front…According to Vimmi,“Immigrant life has alwayshad its challenges. For Asianwomen in particular, the ideaof having to work hard to provethemselves at work paired withhigh expectations at homeand from society means thatAsian women need an extradose of resilience to leave alegacy. Personally, in termsof discrimination, I have beenasked offensive questions at jobinterviews at many stages ofmy career based on gender andcolor. Questions such as whetherI will be allowed to work aftermarriage and whether it wouldbe acceptable for me to work asa parent.”sponsored by Credit Suisse, BoozAllen Hamilton and the AlumniWomen in Business committee atthe London Business School.Having grown up in a westernenvironment with multi culturalfriends, today’s British Asianwomen tend to separate home,education and work lives. Once16The International IndianThe International Indian 17