Savitha* (name changed) felt elated when she landed a job with a prestigious IT company during a campus interview. In the subsequent years, she did brilliant work and got offered an opportunity for an offshore assignment.
“But my wedding was fixed and as my father-in-law was sick, my husband didn’t want to relocate, and I turned down the assignment,” says the 40-year-old resident of Pune, who continued working after delivering her first child. “After my second child, I had to take a five-year break. When I tried getting back into the workforce, most employers were hesitant or offered low pay though I have kept abreast of all the technological advances in my field. I went back to work three years ago but am not considered for prestigious assignments, as they feel I have domestic responsibilities.”
Female representation in the workplace
Savitha’s situation is not unique but the plight of many women employees in India. Several studies have shown that while there are more women joining the workforce, it’s more challenging for women to make it to leadership positions.
According to a recent LinkedIn and The Quantum Hub report highlighting Gender Disparities in Corporate Leadership in India, there has been an overall increase in female representation in the workforce over the years — from 23.9% in 2016 to 26.8% in 2024. However, there were slight fluctuations between 2022 and 2024, with a decline of 0.5 percentage points.
The report also revealed that the percentage of women in senior leadership roles increased from 16.6% in 2016 to 18.7% in 2023 but dipped slightly to 18.3% in 2024.
As women advanced to managerial positions, there was a significant drop (18.59%), followed by a continuous decline in female representation in leadership positions — 20.1% at director roles, 17.4% at Vice President roles and at 15.3% at C-suite positions, says the report.
Women fare better in some sectors
It’s not as though there are no women at the top. The State of Women Leadership Hiring in India, a report by LONGHOUSE Consulting, shows that 39% of the companies surveyed employed women in CXO positions. The year-on-year women’s representation in executive boards also increased by 2% in 2023.
But women are better in certain industries. Industries such as education (30%) and government administration (29%) have the highest representation of women in leadership roles. Then comes administrative and support services and hospitals and healthcare, at 23% each.
There is moderate female representation (19%) in sectors like technology, information, and media and financial services. The lowest representation (11%) is in construction, oil, gas, and mining, and utilities.
Hurdles preventing growth of women in leadership roles
There are various reasons why women are not able to climb the corporate ladder. These include inherent biases, societal norms and other structural barriers.
About 80% of working women in India have taken career breaks — 45% cited childcare and personal commitments in homemaking as the primary reasons. The challenges they faced included resume gaps, skills obsolescence, lack of confidence, bias, stereotypes and lack of support.
“According to governmental observatory studies on women’s careers, 44.5% of all women who are not part of the Indian workforce, take a break for child-care and personal commitments,” says Saundarya Rajesh, founder-president, Avtar Group. “Other reasons include societal conditioning and familial expectations on women being responsible for the 3 Cs – cooking, cleaning and caring, absence of economic need to work and non-availability of women-friendly employment opportunities in the area they reside in.”
Women in India Inc (WIIn) reports that 34% of women as opposed to 4% men, exit firms for striking a work-life balance.
It’s not just one data point; but many
“The correlation between fewer women in leadership positions and women taking career breaks is undeniable. According to Avtar’s research, while women’s representation is 26% at entry level roles in corporate India, this drops to less than 12% at executive levels,” says Saundarya. “The lack of gender representation at the C-suite level can be attributed to the absence of conducive work structures across. Discriminatory work culture limits women’s opportunities to advance.”
Sunita Suresh, co-founder of Red Consulting, a Chennai-based PR firm, says that career women feel torn between home and children, and their career. “You feel guilty for not giving 100% to your home and children and that can affect your career trajectory,” says Sunita, who worked as a consultant for years before establishing her own firm.
The TUF report suggested that companies should start bringing about changes from the hiring stage. For instance, a job listing should be written in a way that it did not favour any gender. Firms should also avoid using gender-coded words, such as ‘aggressive’ (often associated with male stereotypes) or ‘supportive’ (often associated with female stereotypes), and use inclusive language to ensure that the job appeals to all candidates, regardless of their gender, said the report.
Leading the change
However, some companies are striving to make a change. “As per data emerging from Avtar & Seramount Best Companies for Women in India study, women’s representation in the Best Companies is at 37%. At leadership levels, this touched 20% in 2023, because of robust frameworks of support these organisations have towards ensuring equitable career pathways for women,” says Saundarya. “While all best companies in 2023 offered structured mentoring, 76% of them offered career sponsorship – a programme to give greater visibility to women’s work and their aspiration for advancement.”
Sunita says gaps in a female candidate’s resume do not prevent her from hiring the skilled candidate. “Since the PR business is a niche segment, I would see the temperament of the person and if they would suit the role,” she says, adding that she may have a probation period for the candidate. “It would depend on how long the break was as many changes would have happened in the industry during that time, and the person may need to upskill herself.”
Smile working to create more women in leadership positions
NGOs have been working to create women leaders at the grassroot level. Smile Foundation’s women empowerment programme, Swabhiman, launched in 2005, reaches out to marginalised and socially excluded women with interventions in nutrition, healthcare and livelihood.
The programme empowers women to seek healthcare and bring sustainable changes in the community. And supports them to become aware, skilled and financially independent.
As the struggle for gender equality in the workplace continues, it’s essential to recognise the role of grassroots initiatives in empowering women from marginalised communities to rise above societal and economic challenges. Swabhiman has been instrumental in creating women leaders at the grassroots level. By focusing on nutrition, healthcare, and livelihood, Swabhiman goes beyond addressing immediate needs empowering women to become change-makers in their communities.
Through comprehensive interventions, the programme equips women with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to achieve financial independence and secure their rightful place in society. It empowers them to seek better healthcare, make informed decisions, and advocate for sustainable changes within their communities. These women, otherwise overlooked, are becoming leaders and role models, showing that with the right support, they can overcome barriers, and contribute meaningfully to their families and society.