GENDER GAP
A woman's place is in the boardroom
India Inc can attain gender parity by emphasizing middle managers through affirmative action in college and entry-level corporate hiring, ensuring a balanced representation at all levels for effective corporate governance.
Diversity initiatives are bringing more women to certain roles: Survey
Indian companies are prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives, with varying levels of women's representation across roles highlighted in a Manpower Group survey. Administrative and operational roles show higher female presence, while top-level management and STEM roles exhibit lower representation. Key findings emphasize the importance of trust, relationship building, and technology-driven solutions like AI for unbiased recruitment.
Only 17% of targets to improve life around the world are likely to be reached by 2030, UN reports
Despite incremental progress in some areas, global sustainable development remains hindered by slow advancement and persistent challenges. Efforts in expanding technology access and renewable energy capacity show promise, but significant work is needed to address issues like gender equality and education to achieve the 2030 goals.
View: Gender diversity needs work
This year, 797 women candidates contested the general elections, constituting 9.6% of the total 8,337 candidates. Only 74 of them won a seat in the 18th Lok Sabha - four fewer than the number of women in the 17th Lok Sabha. This comes less than a year after the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, which reserves one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and assemblies for women.
Beyond the paycheck: What employees look for and how employers can fix hiring gaps
The changing work culture is causing a gap between employer and employee expectations in hiring and retention. Companies struggle with mismatched salary expectations, required skills, and cultural fit issues. Nonprofits and FMCG companies face the most challenges. Many employees in India and Asia Pacific prioritize flexibility and career progression. Ageism is evident, especially in sectors like Insurance.
It's time for GoI to expose biased global rankings & create honest indices in India
India's falling rankings in global indices, such as the Global Gender Gap index and Corruption Perceptions Index, raise concerns despite its rapid progress in digitalisation. The country's low rankings in various global indices, including the UN's e-Government Development Index and International Telecommunication Union's ICT Development Index, highlight a disconnect between its economic growth and global recognition.
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India Inc makes a play for equality: L&T and Amazon lead the way with all-women teams in engineering and delivery
Engineering giant L&T has established an all-women team at Tata Steel's mining site in Odisha, handling large machinery repairs, inspired by a successful pilot. Amazon, which initiated all-women virtual customer service in 2020, now operates nine all-women delivery stations in various locations. Companies like Shell, KFC, and Dr. Reddy's are also creating all-women teams in various sectors, boosting productivity, reducing attrition, and attracting female talent. These initiatives aim to address the gender gap and promote inclusive practices across industries.
India ranks 129th on Global Gender Gap index, Iceland on top: WEF
India dropped to 129th place in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index 2024, while Iceland retained the top spot. India ranks fifth in South Asia, trailing Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, with Pakistan at the bottom. Despite progress in economic participation and educational enrolment, India's political empowerment and representation of women remain low. Globally, the gender gap will take 134 years to close at the current rate.
More women employees break free from 9-5 cycle, hustle for gig work
The number of female professionals opting for freelance roles surged, with a 300% increase in female consultants in India in FY24 over FY22, as per data from Flexing It shared exclusively with ET. In FY24, global organizations increasingly looked to India for high-quality talent at lower costs, taking advantage of the country's robust post-pandemic remote work practices.
Global equality champion Iceland set to elect woman as president
Iceland is set to elect a woman as president for the second time. Two women, Katrin Jakobsdottir and Halla Tomasdottir, are leading in the polls to succeed Gudni Th Johannesson.
India’s five big IT firms see net exit of 25,000 women in FY24
The data analysis by staffing firm Xpheno revealed that five of India's top IT services companies - Infosys, TCS, Wipro, LTI Mindtree, and HCL Tech - have seen a collective net exit of 25,000 women in the year ending March. Despite an increase in the total number of women employed by these firms from 374,000 in March 2020 to 540,000 in March 2023, the diversity ratio has only seen a marginal growth of 0.9 percentage points during this period.
Percentage of women in senior leadership roles increases to 18% in 2023 from 16% in 2016: Report
The report by LinkedIn and The Quantum Hub highlights that while there has been an increase in women joining the workforce, leadership positions still lack gender parity. The representation of women across the workforce rose to 26.8% in 2024, but senior leadership roles only account for 18.3%, showing a decline from the previous year. Industries like education and government administration have higher female leadership representation, while sectors like construction and utilities lag behind.
Why deeptech companies need to do a deep-dive on gender diversity
Indian companies, particularly in the IT sector, have made some progress in gender diversity but still face significant challenges, especially in the deeptech sector. A report by Pure Storage and Zinnov highlights these issues, revealing that while global capability centres (GCCs) employ 1.66 million people with 28% being women, this diversity decreases sharply at higher corporate levels, dropping to just 6.7% at the executive level.
Initiatives on track to increase women’s participation across levels, say 54% Indian employers – much above global average of 46%
Internal leadership development programmes, followed by flexible working policies, most effective in helping retain and secure diverse talent, finds ManpowerGroup Diversity Outlook Survey
XX chromosome factor: Women voters could rewrite India's polity
It will be a transformative moment in the social fabric of India, inspired by growing empowerment of women. Over the last decade, a range of government initiatives, both at national and state levels, have empowered women like never before. As a result, political parties can no longer take this cohort, accounting for half of the 970 mn electorate, for granted.
Corporate India's big push for diversity: Companies intensify efforts to recruit women from entry level
Corporate giants in India, such as RPG Group, Deloitte, Tata Steel, Amazon, and Zinnov, are doubling down on diversity by ramping up efforts to recruit more women from the ground up. Strategies include targeted campus hiring, incentivizing recruitment agencies to bring in high-potential female candidates, and creating networking platforms to link women with leadership. These initiatives aim to cultivate a diverse workforce from the start, fostering a culture of inclusion and innovation.
VC funding for women-led startups declined in 2023: report
A new report reveals a decline in VC funding for women-led businesses in India. According to WinPe, a non-profit organisation focused on gender diversity in private equity, the share of funding going to female founders dropped to just 9.3% in 2023, compared to 14.7% in 2021.
For India to shine, more and more girls must take up STEM: Isha Ambani
Isha Ambani advocates for increased female participation in STEM and technology careers, highlighting the need to bridge the gender gap and support women in leadership roles for India's technological advancement.
Wanted: Policies that support womens’ advancement in the workplace
In India, women face significant barriers in the workplace, from the burden of unpaid care work to the gender pay gap. Despite anti-harassment policies like the POSH Act, compliance remains a challenge, contributing to the "leaky pipeline" where women exit the workforce.
Need to reform and reinvent civil services: Former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao
Former RBI Governor Subbarao calls for reforming and reinventing Indian civil services, highlighting the need to restore integrity and professionalism. He emphasizes the significance of political neutrality and a cooling-off period for officials entering politics to uphold democracy.
Olivia Coleman says she would have been paid more, if her name was Oliver
Colman's remarks come months after actress Taraji P Henson opened up about feeling stuck within the same low earning range despite having a successful career in the industry.
There are more women in leadership roles now, but challenges & biases still remain
Despite progress, gender diversity challenges persist in corporate India. Initiatives like gender-neutral job descriptions and mixed-gender interview panels aim to reduce bias in hiring processes, supporting women's career advancement and retention.
Women as business leaders: India Inc moved little in five years, finds study
The male-to-female ratio in leadership roles at Indian companies remains unchanged, indicating a lack of gender equality. Sectors like technology, information & media, real estate, transportation and logistics have seen a downward trend in women in leadership roles, while industries like construction, oil, gas & mining, and utilities have seen more women in such positions.
Gender diversity, inclusion not just ideal, but a strategic necessity for businesses: Industry
The Indian IT industry has made progress in gender diversity, but there is still underrepresentation of women in top positions and boardrooms. Companies should offer flexible work options, mentorship programs, and robust support structures to support women's progress. Encouraging women's participation in STEM fields and bridging the gender gap requires institutional-level initiatives.
Post Covid, India one of the main drivers of narrowing gender gap in labour force participation: Moody's
Olia Kuranova of Moody's discusses the impact of narrowing the gender labour force participation gap, estimating $1.5 trillion added to the global economy. India has made impressive progress, but traditional gender roles and lack of supportive policies contribute to a significant gender gap. Change in global attitudes towards remote work and hybrid arrangements has created opportunities for women in particular.
The perception of gender pay gap and bias seen rising with affluence
The second report from the 'Women and Finance' study by DBS Bank India and CRISIL reveals that 23% of salaried women in Indian metros perceive a gender pay gap, while 16% report experiencing gender bias at work. Affluent women show a higher perception of the gender pay gap and bias compared to semi-affluent women.
Negligible number of women CXOs at India's top auto cos, says Deloitte study
Executives at companies like Mercedes-Benz, Tata Motors, MG Motor India and Hero MotoCorp told ET they are stepping up focus on women participation in leadership positions. At Tata Motors, the country’s third largest PV maker and largest CV manufacturer by sales volume, there were 4.9% women in top management positions as of December 31. Across all management levels, from junior to top management, only 7.43% were women.
India ranks 113 out of 190 countries in the World Bank’s legal gender gap index
India ranks 113 in the World Bank's Women, Business and Law index, with women having 60% of the legal rights compared to men. Closing the gender gap could raise global GDP by over 20%. India's female labour force participation rate is 37%.
India, Philippines witnessed the largest decline in gender gap in the post-pandemic period: Moody’s
Moody's Analytics reports that India and the Philippines have seen the largest reduction in the gender gap in labor force participation post-pandemic. The narrowing gap since 2019 has added $1.5 trillion to global income, with almost half coming from India and Japan. Despite progress, India's gender gap remains over four times that of the US or the EU, attributed to traditional gender roles and insufficient supportive policies for women in the workforce.
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