MPW 2025: 'Family is the elephant in the room', says Devina Mehra on what still holds women back

For all the progress India’s financial sector has made, one uncomfortable truth still defines the journey of most women professionals. Their careers rise fast and then stall. While sharing her views at The Most Powerful Women in Business event, Devina Mehra, CMD, First Global, says the biggest roadblock is not policy or capability but conditioning. “We talk about organisations and women, but not about the elephant in the room -- the family and society, and what they expect of women,” she said. Advertisement

Mehra, among the earliest women in India’s investment banking world, recalled often being the only woman in the room but never questioning her right to be there. The problem, she noted, is not ambition but socialisation. “A man will apply for a role if he meets 50% of the requirements