Question: I am a recently graduated engineer and have just joined a small software company in India. Our company is divided into project teams that are further divided into groups of three people.

My first project is starting soon and I've been assigned to a group with two women. Unfortunately I'm come from a traditional background, am rather shy and was in a male-dominated college track which means that I only rarely interacted with women. While some might think this is a stupid question, I'm feeling very nervous about working together in this group. 

**How should I build and maintain a professional relationship with my female coworkers?**

Answer: 
As a fellow Indian, I'll offer this:

Education here works in the way that till you're in middle school(fifth grade), boys and girls are made to sit on common benches, and interaction between them is normal, as is between people of the same sex(why are people shy of using this word? It's more appropriate than gender here in meaning).

Then from middle school onward, they're made to sit separately, and even their social circles separate to the point that in high school, being near a boy/girl is seen from your peers as suspicious/ridiculous (we're just kids, I get it).

Then, all of a sudden, in college and workplaces it's expected that they should be working as a team. This'll be hard - they've had to be socially separate for the last eight years! Naturally it's hard. Also, there's the angle of changing viewpoints as you get older - Here's a quote for you(interesting thread - give it a read):

<http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2565381/hell-wrong.html>

> 
> **MU\_Engineer**  
> 
>  you are about the age where they start becoming interesting instead of cootie-infested and icky
> 
> 
> 

That's even more reason to be shy.

But I say, step out of your comfort zone. Approach and talk to them as you will with any other colleague of yours. Of course, there are some unwritten rules of etiquette with women, and follow them, they're important - but still it isn't as hard as it appears.

Another thing I'd like to say that in our culture some people are of the belief that males have been and will be inherently superior to females. Don't hold this belief. If you have any female seniors or superiors, treat them with the respect they're due. It might feel awkward at first(it did to me), but you'll get used to it eventually. And with time you'll form a relationship with everyone in the office and learn to work as a team, and that'll be a wonderful feeling when that happens.

Till then - best of luck, and congratulations on your new job!
Why does them being a woman have any bearing on how you interact with them in a professional workplace? To have a professional relationship, **you should interact with them in the same manner as you do with men in a professional setting - with respect.** Colleagues, irrespective of male or female, appreciate and expect professionalism, respect, and recognition for the merit of work well done.

A colleague's gender is irrelevant to how one should conduct oneself in a workplace, and no special preference should be shown in one's professional conduct **solely due to the colleague being female.** To show special deference, or to apply different standards of conduct when interacting with women **can even be perceived as insulting.** She is no different from any other colleague, other than she is a woman. 

Some of the comments below say this might be dangerous or ill -advised because of one's behavior with men. **If you treat men "roughly" because its accepted within your culture, then no you should not extend this treatment to women.** As mentioned by @ Matthew Read in a comment, rather than look for the lowest common denominator and adapt to the "culture", be the change you want to see and treat all with respect. 

In the end, I will borrow a quote from @ Patricia Shanahan and say this "**You should speak and interact with them just like male colleagues."**