Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Arundhati Bhattacharya Challenges Bias Against Women and Gen Z
Arundhati Bhattacharya spoke about lessons from her career.
She said she once thought women did not want rural work assignments.
A colleague explained that many women could not find safe, suitable places to live there.
The State Bank of India arranged shared accommodation and meals, and more women accepted those assignments.
This taught Bhattacharya to ask what problem might be stopping someone.
She also discovered that she could unknowingly treat male and female job candidates differently.
She said everyone should receive the same opportunity.
Bhattacharya disagreed with the idea that Gen Z does not want to work hard.
She said many young workers also want their jobs to have a purpose.
Arundhati Bhattacharya said she once misunderstood why women avoided rural and semi-rural postings.
She later learned that inadequate accommodation, rather than reluctance, was often the main obstacle.
Training at Salesforce helped Bhattacharya recognize her own unconscious gender bias in candidate assessments.
She said Gen Z is resilient and motivated by purpose, challenging stereotypes about its work ethic.
Bhattacharya shared these lessons at the launch of Aparajita, the Hindi translation of her memoir.
- Who
- Former State Bank of India Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya.
- What
- She discussed workplace obstacles for women, unconscious gender bias, and stereotypes about Gen Z.
- When
- At the launch held on Thursday; the article was published September 10, 2026.
- Where
- At the launch of Aparajita, the Hindi translation of her memoir Indomitable.
- Why
- To reflect on lessons from her leadership career and challenge assumptions about women and younger workers.
Common Workplace Assumptions
Bhattacharya’s Reassessment
Women and rural postings
Common Workplace Assumptions
Women were assumed to be reluctant to accept rural assignments important for career advancement.
Bhattacharya’s Reassessment
Bhattacharya said the main issue was often the lack of suitable accommodation, not unwillingness.
Gen Z’s work ethic
Common Workplace Assumptions
A common stereotype portrays Gen Z as entitled, impatient, and unwilling to work hard.
Bhattacharya’s Reassessment
Bhattacharya said Gen Z is resilient and increasingly motivated by purpose as well as pay.
Leadership and bias
Common Workplace Assumptions
A leader with experience overcoming gender barriers might assume she is unlikely to hold gender bias.
Bhattacharya’s Reassessment
Bhattacharya said she discovered that she too could unconsciously ask male and female candidates different questions.
- Speaker
- Arundhati Bhattacharya, former State Bank of India Chairperson
- Book
- Aparajita, the Hindi translation of Indomitable: A Working Woman’s Notes on Life, Work and Leadership
- Gender-bias lesson
- Bhattacharya said training at Salesforce helped her identify unconscious bias in candidate assessments.
- Rural-posting obstacle
- Many women struggled to find suitable accommodation in rural and semi-rural locations.
- State Bank response
- The bank arranged central accommodation and a mess for women taking rural assignments.
- Gen Z view
- Bhattacharya said the stereotype that Gen Z is entitled and unwilling to work hard is totally wrong.
- Motivation
- She said younger employees increasingly seek purpose in addition to a pay cheque.