Women’s Leadership In India Rises In 2024

LinkedIn and The Quantum Hub’s analysis reveals a significant shift in India’s corporate landscape, with female leadership hires rising to 23.2% in early 2024 from 18.8% in 2016, peaking at 25.2% in 2021.

Persistent Gaps in Leadership Representation Despite progress, disparities persist. Female representation in the workforce increased from 23.9% in 2016 to 26.8% in 2024, but there’s a slight dip from 2022 to 2024, down by 0.5 percentage points. Top leadership positions rose from 16.6% in 2016 to 18.7% in 2023 but dropped to 18.3% in 2024, likely to be adjusted by year-end.

While entry-level (28.7%) and senior independent contributor levels (29.53%) show strong female representation, it declines significantly in management roles (18.59%). The trend continues, with only 20.1% in director roles, 17.4% in Vice President roles, and a mere 15.3% in C-suite positions.

Industry-Specific Trends While some sectors like Consumer Services show improvement (from 30% in 2016 to 37% in 2024), others like Construction, Oil, Gas, Mining, and Utilities lag, with only 11% representation.

“Boosting women’s leadership in Indian businesses is crucial for better outcomes,” said Aditi Jha of LinkedIn India, according to Mint.

Obstacles and Solutions Despite advancements, women face biases, societal norms, and structural limitations hindering their path to leadership. The focus on ‘women-led development’ has spurred efforts from politicians and corporate leaders to address these issues.

“I hope this report will inspire tangible steps towards narrowing gender disparities, particularly in senior leadership positions,” Jha added.

The study underscores the need for continued efforts to bridge the gender gap in leadership.

Re-reported from the article originally published in She the People.