{"id":14637,"date":"2025-09-18T08:59:54","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T08:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/?p=14637"},"modified":"2025-09-20T09:00:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T09:00:44","slug":"superwoman-syndrome-in-indian-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/superwoman-syndrome-in-indian-women\/","title":{"rendered":"The Superwoman Syndrome: Why Indian Women Leaders Still Feel Like Frauds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In India, when a woman make it to the top, they are celebrated like a Bollywood heroine or a superwoman in a triumphant climax scene. You\u2019ve seen the headlines: \u201cShe cracked the glass ceiling,\u201d \u201cShe\u2019s proof you can have it all.\u201d These women are splashed across glossy magazine covers \u2014 CEOs who close billion-dollar deals before breakfast, run half-marathons at lunch and still arrive at the PTA meeting with blow-dried hair and cupcakes in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the dream: having it all.
It\u2019s also the trap: doing it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because if you actually talk to these women, another story emerges. Fatigue. Guilt. That gnawing sense of \u201cnot enough.\u201d And hovering over it all \u2014 impostor syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From \u201cLean In\u201d to \u201cLie Down\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At some point between Sheryl Sandberg urging women to lean in<\/em> and corporate India rolling out glossy \u201cgirlboss\u201d campaigns, the narrative shifted. A new expectation emerged, one where not only should women break into boardrooms, but they must also be visionary leaders, doting mothers, tireless mentors and \u2014 why not \u2014 yoga influencers with green smoothies on the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academic name for this cultural cocktail is neoliberal feminism<\/a><\/strong>. Catherine Rottenberg coined the term to describe how empowerment got rebranded as self-improvement. Basically: \u201cYes, inequality exists. But fix it yourself. Optimise harder. Be more confident. Sleep is optional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In India, where only 24% of women are in the workforce<\/strong> (World Bank, 2022) and just 18% occupy senior management roles<\/strong> (Grant Thornton, 2023), this message lands hard. For the lucky few who do make it, the seat at the table is never secure. Every day feels like an audition to prove they belong \u2014 much like a superwoman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bollywood Version of Balance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pop culture loves the image of the Indian \u201csuperwoman.\u201d Think of films like English Vinglish <\/strong>where Sridevi effortlessly masters cupcakes, English grammar and self-respect, all in two hours flat. Or Kareena Kapoor in Ki & Ka<\/strong>, cycling in stilettos while climbing the corporate ladder. These heroines make multi-tasking look glamorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But real life? Not quite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Ghazal Alagh<\/strong>, co-founder of Mamaearth, who bluntly calls work-life balance \u201ca myth.\u201d Her mantra is survival through non-negotiables like sleep, family weekends and joy. Everything else? Chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or Neerja Birla<\/strong>, who prefers the word \u201charmony.\u201d Balance, she says, is utopian \u2014 life is a juggle, some balls drop and that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Anita Bhogle<\/strong>, who has researched women\u2019s leadership for decades, admits that even the most confident women are racked by impostor syndrome. In other words, no amount of degrees, awards or applause stops that inner voice from whispering: \u201cYou don\u2019t really deserve this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there\u2019s Ria, a marketing manager profiled in The Times of India, who confessed she re-reads every email five times, terrified that one mistake will expose her as a fraud. Her colleagues see her as a star performer. She sees herself as a ticking time bomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Pressure of being Superwoman Comes From Other Women<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the plot twist no one likes to admit that sometimes the harshest critics are not men, but other women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Bengaluru executive told me: \u201cI felt more judged by women colleagues than by men. It was like I wasn\u2019t proving I could do it all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scholars call this the queen bee phenomenon<\/strong>: women leaders distancing themselves from other women to survive in male-dominated spaces. It\u2019s not about malice, it\u2019s scarcity. Too few seats at the top, so solidarity gets replaced by competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call it the sisterhood dilemma: we want more women in power, but when they get there, we sometimes police them with impossible standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Solidarity in Action: What Happens When Women Lift Each Other<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This scarcity-driven competition isn\u2019t inevitable. When women have systemic support, the results look very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Smile Foundation\u2019s women\u2019s empowerment programme, Swabhiman<\/a><\/strong>. Across India, Smile has built networks of women who are not just workers but leaders in their communities \u2014 self-help groups, skilling initiatives and entrepreneurship support that give women real economic agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, through vocational training centres, thousands of young women have learned skills in digital literacy, retail, tailoring and healthcare \u2014 allowing them to step into workplaces with confidence and financial independence. In rural areas, Smile Foundation works with women\u2019s groups to provide livelihood<\/a> support that doesn\u2019t just help individuals, but lifts entire families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s striking is how this programme create solidarity. Instead of competing for scarce seats, women support each other to grow. The message shifts from \u201cprove you can do it all\u201d to \u201clet\u2019s build together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a reminder that impostor syndrome isn\u2019t only a personal problem. It\u2019s shaped by culture and systems. Change the system and you change the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Confidence isn\u2019t the Problem<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Traditional advice goes like this. Women just need to \u201cbe more confident.\u201d But impostor syndrome among Indian women leaders shows that confidence isn\u2019t the problem. Culture is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about it. Why is confidence demanded more from women than from men? Why is self-doubt treated as weakness when, in reality, everyone \u2014 yes, even CEOs \u2014 has it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In truth, the problem isn\u2019t women\u2019s lack of confidence. It\u2019s the cultural insistence that women should be endlessly competent, endlessly available, endlessly graceful. That they must work late, raise perfect children, maintain six-pack abs and smile while doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s empowerment disguised as exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Real Mirror<\/strong> of Superwoman<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bollywood has long romanticised women who do it all. The mother who sacrifices everything, the working woman who never misses a puja, the heroine who sings while stirring dal. But rarely do we see the costs of the burnout, the cracks, the desire to just say \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps it\u2019s time for new scripts. What if the heroine took a nap instead of a promotion? What if she said, \u201cActually, I can\u2019t have it all and that\u2019s fine.\u201d That might not sell movie tickets. But it could change workplaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Towards Authentic Role Models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What Indian workplaces really need are not perfect role models, but authentic ones. Leaders who admit they struggle. Who show it\u2019s okay to ask for help. Who let vulnerability be visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That requires systemic shifts too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Flexible policies<\/strong>: childcare support, parental leave, remote work options.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Cultural change<\/strong>: stop equating long hours with loyalty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • New narratives<\/strong>: celebrate leaders for impact, not for superhuman juggling acts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Because the truth is women don\u2019t want to stop leading. They just want to stop performing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Mask Slips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One executive said it best: \u201cThere is a need for some kind of mask. But what if I want to take it off?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Maybe it\u2019s time we let her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not the flawless \u201csuperwoman\u201d of ad campaigns, but the real woman \u2014 ambitious, messy, brilliant, vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s not weakness. That\u2019s the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And if we are serious about building that future in India, we need fewer women asked to \u201chave it all\u201d and more women given the tools, opportunities and support to simply have what they choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s the story Smile Foundation is quietly helping write.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Bollywood has long romanticised women who do it all. The mother who sacrifices everything, the working woman who never misses a puja, the heroine who sings while stirring dal. But rarely do we see the costs of the burnout, the cracks, the desire to just say \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[971],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gender"],"yoast_head":"\nSuperwoman Syndrome: The Myth of Having It All<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is Superwoman Syndrome? 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