Stranger: Are you in sales and marketing?

Professional: Actually I am the general manager.

Reaction: Shock!

Calcutta: Such exchanges are part of Birgit Holm's everyday work life. The general manager of Hyatt Regency, Calcutta, is not alone. Pilot Spandana Grandhi is often mistaken as a member of the cabin crew.

Heather Loresch, the US vice consul-general in the city, added a twist to the tale. "People are shocked when they learn that I work at the consulate while my husband runs the home and travels with me," she said.

Six women in "male-dominated jobs" shared how they broke the glass ceiling at a leadership session hosted by the CII Indian Women Network at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations on Thursday.

"Long working hours, sweat, grime and colourful language - that's the work atmosphere at restaurant and hotel kitchens. Women are considered a misfit here," said Priyanka Malik, a culinary consultant and MasterChef finalist. Women chefs were always considered good for television shows but not for the real stuff, she added.

From family opposition to work hazards - obstacles have only made the six stronger. "My family was not supportive. My marriage broke. But in the end I wanted to see myself at the top. Success is the best revenge," said Papiya Sultana, the additional superintendent of police in the state and a proud single mom.

For Shalini Biswas, the managing director of Easy Notes, leading a team of 50 men has not been easy but she has never shirked responsibility. "We are trying to encourage more women to join us."

Grandhi, a pilot with IndiGo, said being a minority in her profession had never broken her confidence. "The problem is not between men and women but between people who believe in equality and those who don't."

Patti Hoffman, the US consul general in Calcutta, was the chief guest at the event. Also present was designer Agnimitra Paul, the chairwoman of CII Indian Women Network in the state.