My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future

by Indra Nooyi

I also believe CEOs and boards have to finally step up on pay parity. We all know that women, on average, are paid less for the same work as men. This is a travesty, and we need a far more precise effort to resolve the discrepancies.

I absolutely believe, however, that directors should demand and review fully transparent compensation analysis and hold the CEO accountable for getting to pay parity. It’s about time.

Sometimes I feel like these people think I have some sort of secret recipe because I managed to pull it off. I don’t. In many ways, I was just lucky—with my close-knit household, great education, and parents who valued their daughters as much as their son. I married a man who shared my ideals, we supported each other, and we started out carefully and frugally. We’ve had our disagreements—that’s true in every marriage—but Raj and I have steadfast love and commitment to each other and our children. I also had constant help from relatives and, later, could afford to hire people to help me both at work and at home. I met mentors at critical moments. And, as many have reminded me, I have the special genetics of not having to sleep more than five hours a night.