Sandhya Gupta
Alumnae Program Lead, WomenLift Health
Sandhya is the Alumnae Program Lead at WomenLift Health where she leads on the design and implementation of the global alumnae strategy. She has over 15 years of experience managing programs for international nonprofits with a focus on human rights, social justice, and education. Prior to WomenLift Health, Sandhya spent a decade with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change where she managed government partnerships while based out of New Delhi, India. As Senior Education Advisor for Asia, she oversaw several projects focused on the prevention of violent extremism through education. Other previous roles include Program Officer for South Asia at America Jewish World Service, where Sandhya managed a portfolio of human rights and social justice grants. Sandhya graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in history and holds an M.A.L.D. in International Conflict Resolution and Negotiation from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She currently lives in Northern Virginia where she enjoys the beautiful hiking and walking trails of the region.
Find Sandhya on LinkedIn and X (Twitter): sandhyagupta02
All Sessions by Sandhya Gupta
Conflict Dynamics: Build Better Relationships
Led by: WomenLift Health.
Conflict is inevitable, unavoidable, complex, and can be mentally, emotionally, and physically draining, and difficult to navigate. Conflict can also negatively impact personal progress and goals, team dynamics, and workplace culture. Research shows that women in particular tend to avoid disagreement, corresponding to socially constructed norms of femininity.
Conflict can also serve a purpose. It can generate new solutions, build better relationships, and can increase job satisfaction. It is key to innovation and can be a critical component of risk mitigation. Conflict follows a predictable pathway and will diverge to become either constructive or destructive. The question for this workshop is: How do we navigate the path of conflict so that it is constructive, and we can walk away feeling positive, relaxed, and even motivated?
In this session, for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike, we will explore the Conflict Dynamics Model by unpacking the behaviors and actions that influence interpersonal conflict. Attendees will reflect on and map out a recent work disagreement by focusing on the active, passive, constructive and destructive response pathways. We will understand how to identify our own “hot buttons” and contributions to either escalating or de-escalating a conflict.
Addressing Gender Bias in the Workplace
Led by: WomenLift Health.
Every society possesses beliefs around the roles that men and women should take in our families, communities, and workplaces. These are called gender roles, and they are a social construct, meaning they are neither discussed openly, challenged, nor objectively true. These beliefs, taught through our families, schools, media, and cultures, are transmitted from generation to generation. Gender roles become accepted as the “regular” or “normal” ways we treat men and women differently.
It’s a short step from here to stereotypes, reinforced throughout our lives, which create opportunities for some and obstacles for others. These obstacles hold back not only women and men, but entire societies. In many countries around the world, development has suffered as a significant portion of the population is excluded from active participation in the workforce or from realizing their full potential. This is not a zero-sum game: closing the gender gap between men and women’s access to education, political voice, employment opportunities, and pay equity could give the global economy a USD 7 trillion boost (UN Women).
In this interactive workshop we use small group discussions, individual reflections, and a case study to unpack the concept of gender, unearth stereotypes that create obstacles for women’s advancement at work and at home, and identify practices to enhance organizational culture for women and men alike. Whether gender bias is a new concept for you, or you’re looking for some activities to bring back to people in your organization who need to understand gender bias better, this workshop is for you.