Story highlights Meet the first woman to head India State Bank in 208 years

Bringing in groundbreaking rules on two-year sabbaticals

Women workers say they no longer feel guilty about time off

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(CNN) Gaze across the painted portraits adorning the walls of India's biggest bank, and you'll find row after row of men -- with one exception.

Arundhati Bhattacharya is the first woman to head the State Bank of India in its 208-year-history, and she's shaking up the rules on maternity leave like never before.

In Bhattacharya's workplace, employees are allowed to take sabbaticals for two years -- a huge relief for many women who fear they'll be penalized for taking time out to care for family.

"In India, women are still the primary caregivers. Whether it be for children, whether it be for old people or sick people, you are the primary caregiver. No matter what position you are in," said 58-year-old Bhattacharya, who in 2013 also became the youngest person to be appointed chairman of the company.

"We have allowed a special sabbatical of two years, which people can take three times in their career, usually for reasons of child-rearing or looking after sick people."

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