LinkedIn Data Reveals Women In India Are Seeking More Entrepreneurial Opportunities Than Men

The new LinkedIn data shows how the number of women seeking entrepreneurship opportunities are rising in India

According to new LinkedIn data released on Wednesday, even though Indian women face low representation in leadership roles in the workforce, they are now seeking more entrepreneurship opportunities as compared to men. The data, published in the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, showed that the share of female founders grew by 2.68 times compared to 1.79 times among men between 2016 and 2021. Moreover, the growth rate of female entrepreneurship was the highest during the pandemic — in 2020 and 2021.

“Our new data is indicative of one thing: working women in India are being held back by more barriers in the workplace when compared to men. But despite the adversity, many women remain undeterred and continue to chart their own path by pivoting to entrepreneurship and building careers that allow them to work on their own terms with greater flexibility,” said Ruchee Anand, Senior Director, India Talent & Learning Solutions at LinkedIn.

Generally, in workplaces, women are underrepresented in leadership roles.

In India, the representation of female leaders has dropped from 29% at the senior level to a staggering 18% at the managerial level. This could reveal the reason why more women are pivoting to entrepreneurship. “We saw this, especially in the years of the pandemic (2020 and 2021) when women sheltered from a shrinking job market by starting their own businesses that also created opportunities for other women,” Anand added. However, the new data also reveals more women being hired into leadership roles from eight years ago, shooting up to 24% this year; 1.36x since 2015.

Furthermore, to support female entrepreneurs, and women in the workforce, LinkedIn has unlocked some of its courses for free until August 22. These include Gender in Negotiation; Getting to Yes: Advice for Female Founders on How to Get Funded; Leadership Strategies for Women; and Success Strategies for Women in the Workplace and many more.

Credits: Business Insider India

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