It is already tough for women to have consistent careers due to the biological clock.  And once they cross 40, unspoken biases make it tougher. This has inspired a new channel to celebrate the wisdom and accomplishments of women achievers over 40.

 

Do you want to hear remarkable stories of Women over 40? Most don't.

That's what I was told by several publishing houses, when I wrote the biography of Nina Lekhi, Founder, Baggit.

Did it matter to them that Baggit was a market leader and employed over 1500 people, or that Nina had won several state and national awards? It didn't seem so.

However, it highlighted a huge, undeclared prejudice. That pre-conceived notions and biases against women achievers became worse with age.

It isa well-known fact that most young women break their professional career paths because of motherhood. I did too, gently assuring myself that I was doing the significant work of raising the next generation. And that once my children are older, I could have a career.

But soon enough, another harsh reality dawned on me.

What happened to the careers of women over 40 years of age?

Senior human resource professionals in my circle revealed how resumes of women above 35 are not in the reckoning for the biggest companies. “These biases exist, are never given in writing and have to be read between the lines,” theyconfided.

“Qualifications and experience do matter, if she stays in the same company without taking a break in her career,” they added.

Even though this is not possible for most women!

Inspiration for a New Channel

Women my age (read over 40)are politely referred to as 'aunties' in many conversations we have all heard/spoken. This is intended derogatively. For eg:

· “My neighbourhood aunty started a business… let's see how long it lasts.”

· “Aunty is an airhostess in Air India. That's why I don't fly Air India.”

· “Won't aunty be more comfortable enduring menopause at home instead of the boardroom? As she did motherhood?”

The word aunty, it seems, connotes images of 'past her prime', 'not with it', and 'low energy.'

Even though for most millennial, the same word could mean 'warmth,''focused-energy, ' 'achievement' and definitely 'trust.'

But here's where I must pierce this bubble of pessimism.

Nina Lekhi's biography was an absolute success. Because it was about a C minus student, whodropped outof college and is today an A+ entrepreneur atthe age of 55!

And the list of achievers similar to Nina, is not small.

Other examples include Falguni Nayar, who foundedNykaa, a fashion retail unicorn at the age of 50!

And Shital Bhatkar, a homemaker, feeds 2000 families of terminally-ill patients outside hospitals everyday in Central Mumbai.

Highlighting these remarkable stories was the Basic Objective of the New Channel

All these women achieved success inspite of being encumbered with domestic responsibilities and pressures.

They proved that women leaders and achievers are "Not Just Aunties" once they cross their 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, or 80thbirthdays!

And that millions of women, who are founts of wisdom are'killing it' at work and home as they give back to society, globally!

The fact that their achievements were not being upheldor regarded as they deserve, made me want to shout from the rooftops. Not many women were winning the prestigious 40 under 40 awards, so why isn't there any recognition for Women (of Substance)over 40?

This very frustration led to the appropriate name for this newdigital channel.

The name [email protected]

What is @Notjustaunty?

NotJustAunty is a YouTube channel of interviews with women over 40, who excel at work and home! It features a host of real stories of overcoming stereotypes, societal expectations, and under-representation.

It is already tough for women to have consistent careers due to the biological clock.  But it is even tougher once they are over 40 years as there exists an unspoken, “aunty” bias against them.

Hence, it is crucial to capture the wisdom and knowledge of achievers in this cohort and present it to others struggling with similar challenges.

Response of Stakeholders

One of our early and popularguests on the channel, Suma Varughese, ex-Editor-in-Chief, Life Positive, says, “Subscribing to this channel is a good idea, because it focuses on the 40 plus woman, and no part of the media has so far spotlighted her!”

Entrepreneur, Pinkathon Ambassador and channel guest, Sonia Kulkarni says, “Thanks for such a wonderful platform – I just opened up completely and poured my heart out. Such conversations must become mainstream texts so that we can help each other cope up better.”

In a telling comment about how engaging and necessary the content is, one of the subscribers said, “Thank you for your candid, open-hearted conversation. We need more (content) like this.”

NotJustAunty has received over 55,000+ views across social media channels, within just four weeks of launch. Its content is also designed to guide Women over 40 and challenge them to achieve success. The curated playlists cover all categories of women achievers: homemakers, leaders and entrepreneurs,  so that audiences can learn from diversity.

Growth Prospects:

At the moment, the channel is just about curated and inspiring content. However, it promises to build a high-quality professional network of women achievers, who can liaise for jobs, business partnerships, services or simply celebrate their achievements with their ilk.

Themes covered by the channel are powerful and support this end goal. They include: Staying Relevant, Pursuing one's Passion, Health and Fitness, Work-life balance, and Coping with Covid-19.

In the coming weeks, women achievers who will be interviewed include Nina Lekhi, Founder & CEO Baggit, Deepika Rao, MD,  Ginger Hotels and Pooja Taparia, Founder, Arpan.

I couldn't conclude better, than with what Suma Varughese says on the channel itself. “To my thinking, this age group of wise, confident, self-aware women are playing a crucial role in freeing the world of its patriarchal energy and moving it towards a beautiful New World. While it is okay for media to promote the young, there is a greater need for these, awesome, wise women to be heard.

And if you are one of them, then do tune in and get inspired!”