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Indra Nooyi Has Solid Advice For Women: You Need To Help Each Other More

Women Tend To Take Criticism Better From A Man, Says Indra Nooyi
Women in the World

Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, has this to say of women: They tend to accept constructive criticism better if it is coming from a man.

Nooyi, who reportedly spent so much time at work that her baby daughter often slept under her desk, says women need to do more to help each other out.

Nooyi and Anne-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO of the New America Foundation, were speaking with moderator Norah O’Donnell, co-host of CBS This Morning, on a number of subjects that affect modern women for a Women in the World summit in New York that explored trends, policies, and approaches -- from multi-generational households to corporate 'family campuses' -- that can help women pursue their careers while meeting household responsibilities.

Here's what she said:

I will give you an example. This is from my own experience at Pepsi. Many times we're in a presentation and the guy is giving a presentation, not going so well, so we call a break. They go to the men's room. 'Hey Bill, that was awful, your presentation. Fix it man. Don't gesture so much'. Little fist bump, they come back and Bill's doing fine.

Woman does a terrible job and you walk into the women's room and you go, 'you know Mary, that was terrible, what were you doing?' 'God she's so bitchy'. No! I'm trying to give you constructive feedback. So what we do is, we assume feedback from women mean something is wrong, if the same feed back came from men, we'd accept it. Or worse still, we don't give the feedback the way we should.

Even though we know they're not doing well because we go, 'good she's struggling, I can take that position'. I think we have to change our whole approach to supporting each other, taking advice from each other, seeking it out. One thing I feel very badly about is all my mentors in my life have been male. But then I sit back and say maybe I came into the work force at a different time. Let's figure out how we can help each other way more than we are today.

Here's the video:

Indra Nooyi: Women don't help women enough

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi: "I don't believe women help women enough in the workplace." http://nyti.ms/25POTLO #WITW

Posted by Women in the World on Saturday, April 9, 2016

I hate to be called 'honey' and 'sweetie' and 'babe'. That has to change.

Nooyi also draws a stark picture of the disparity women face at work everyday and stressed for immediate action.

"We have been in this revolution for decades. First it was just getting entry into this boy's club.... We clawed our way into this revolution at workplace, then we needed parity at pay. Not yet there, we are still fighting for that. We have to have equal treatment. We need to be treated as equals. I hate to be called 'honey' and 'sweetie' and 'babe'. That has to change," she says.

"Lean in, pull people up, we've done that too."

Nooyi talks about the roles society wants women to play -- that of wives, daughters, daughter-in-law. She says women have maternity leave. But what about what comes after? Does she leave an infant home alone and return to work at the end of that leave period? How can governments, society, families and companies help women finish the revolution?

"We gotta finish the business," she says referring to the unfinished business of work-life balance.

Nooyi said PepsiCo is looking at building a daycare centre on the company campus, according to the New York Times, that would provide care for sick babies. "I think we ought to lobby Washington like hell," she says to get a tax break for companies that provide day care.

See a video of the entire session here.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.