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DIVERSITY
In the Indian workplace
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Summary 3
2. Gender Inequality, Society and Corporate India 7
3. The Indian society and gender roles 9
4. The rationale for women in the labourforce 10
5. Education to Employment: the narrowing funnel 12
6. Diversity: What ails the workplace? 14
7. The glass ceiling: what, really, is the root causes
of bias at the workplace? 16
8. What women want 18
9. A roadmap to Gender Equality 20
10. What we believe in 21
11. Annexure: Labour Statistics 23
2 3

SUMMARY
India could add between 16% and 60% to its national income if women joined the labour force in
proportionate measure. Achieving this requires India to recast its outdated societal outlook substantially.
A transformational change in societal attitudes and beliefs is the need of the hour, to enable women with
Education and Employment opportunities on par with men. The onus for such change rests as much on
society as it does on policy measures.
Women are severely under represented in most well-paying sectors and, at the same time, they are
disproportionately well-represented in subsistence-income occupations such as care and agriculture.
A transformational shift in the number of women at work could bring about long-desired outcomes of better
parity with men across opportunity, role and rewards, autonomy and a strong voice in decision making and,
nally, equitable sharing in household responsibilities.
The number of women in the labour force is substantially lower than the number of men, across sectors.
The predominant theme is their overwhelming population of sectors that require process-orientation
rather than engineering effort.
The labour force participation rate is signicantly skewed towards rural women, so much so that the urban,
well-qualied, working woman is more of a stereotype than a reality. Most urban, educated, women willy-
nilly desist from joining in the labour force because of patriarchal taboos.
The workplace bias against women is multidimensional it creates effective resistance against womens
advancement in their career through stereotypical roles, inequitable wages, structural constrictions to
progression and leadership.
The root cause of bias against women arises from the labour market being largely male-dominated and
having nurtured a masculine characteristic in its DNA. We deconstruct this root cause as a framework of
Privilege, Practices, Peers and Pathways women are up in arms against.
Survey ndings indicate that there is signicant divergence between employee expectations and
organizational policies related to gender equality. Organizations are perceived by employees to be fullling
compliance requirements more than actually effectively addressing inequality.
In conclusion we propose a comprehensive, three-layered, approach that includes a foundational layer of
parity and advocacy, a mid-tier of effective performance review and leadership pipeline capabilities,
followed with adequately funded policy implementation.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT

This study conceptualises not
just the root cause, but suggests
an indigenous solution framework,
for the problem of Gender
discrimination in India.
A comprehensive diagnosis of the
root cause traces bias right from
birth through continued
employment, thereby pointing to all
possible sources of gender
discrimination.
Pin points responsibility right
down to the family and to women
themselves, and not just the
employers or the labour
market.

It bridges the participation by Indian
women in Education and Employment,
and clearly illustrates how and why
opportunities are lost by women through this
funnel.
It busts the myth of the urban working woman and
demonstrates the fact that a signicant
proportion of educated women in cities do not,
in fact, take up employment in as many numbers
as rural women do.
4 5
6 7

GENDER INEQUALITY
SOCIETY AND CORPORATE INDIA

The economic case for Gender Equality Workplace gender inequality is a global phenomenon. McKinsey Global Institute
estimates that women add 37% of the worlds GDP while constituting one-half of the global working age population. If they
played an identical role to men in the labour markets, however,
On each of the above numbers India has the most to gain, compared with 95 other countries. Womens share of Indias GDP is
about 17%, and the above two scenarios could elevate the countrys GDP by 60% and 16%, respectively. Getting anywhere
close to these numbers requires India to recast its outdated social mores substantially, however.
The role of Society As we will discuss in a forthcoming chapter, gender bias in society directly induces a corresponding bias in
the labour market. Education and Employment become casualties under the weight of traditional gender roles and
patriarchal hierarchies. Cultural and social norms offer severe resistance to women against entering, and continuing in, the
workforce. This factor can, singularly, stall the country from reaping the above estimated windfalls.

Women could add about

USD28 Trillion to global GDP by
2025, or add about USD 12
Trillion if their proportion in the
workforce was brought up to
best-in-the-region levels.
 GENDER INEQUALITY SOCIETY AND CORPORATE INDIA
8 9
India, therefore, needs to start with altering the
very basics of its societal fabric. The onus for such
transformational change rests as much on society
as it does on policy measures. Such an ambitious
initiative also requires that women are enabled
with Education and Employment opportunities on
par with men. Achieving this milestone will then put
the country in a league of nations that is on a
progressive gender diversity course. And, ensure
equality in the workplace.
Our study concludes with sur vey ndings
60%
administered to female respondents from
organizations across India, surveyed in connection
with the primary objectives of this study. As part of
our analysis we also present trends for the number
of women on the boards of publicly listed
companies.
This study envisages an appropriate public
discourse on transformational change in society
as well as in the workplace. TeamLease hopes to
play a pivotal role in ushering in an era of equal
opportunity in not just Education and Employment,
but also in career advancements and leadership.
THE ONUS FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE RESTS AS
MUCH ON SOCIETY AS IT DOES ON POLICY MEASURES
THE INDIAN SOCIETY AND GENDER ROLES
Incomes Surge with better Gender Diversity! The dichotomy of bias
Aggregate global GDP could increase by There is a paradox in how the Indian society regards women. Traditionally, Indians specically, in Hinduism see the woman
as the manifestation of a divine force. In popular culture, however, women are often objectied just as they are anywhere
between $12T and $28T else in the world. The dichotomy is universal and unfathomable. The very society that celebrates occasions to mark feminine
If women participated more actively in the labourforce divinity imposes restrictions on women through patriarchal sanctions. The juxtaposition of centuries-old tradition and
constantly evolving culture constitutes a rather strange concoction of biases and practices in society and in the workplace.
GDP add when women play an identical role as men Attitudes and beliefs mostly outdated perpetuated through decades of cultural sanctions and patriarchal hierarchies
GDP add with best-inregion scenario have had one debilitating outcome gender roles that hinder equal opportunity. Although we condemn discrimination and
inequality, in all forms and in various walks of life, this study is conned to an analysis and discourse on inequality at the
workplace.
Gender roles constrain occupational choices even as
48% women attain educational qualications that entitle
them to fullling and lucrative careers. Once again,
30%
cultural and corporate stereotypes act in collusion to
16% 20%
19% limit opportunity.
11% 12% 11% This is a two-pronged problem:
8%
As women graduate into higher education their
India S. Asia East / S.E. China N. America/ numbers dwindle drastically.
Asia Oceania
As they pursue job opportunities with qualications
Source: McKinsey Global Institute - The Power of Parity
in tow the options available to them are dictated by
employer preconceptions.
The outcome is sub-optimal leverage of a precious
demographic segment, even as talent demand
remains unfullled in large pockets of industry.
GENDER ROLES REINFORCED
VIA PATRIARCHAL SANCTIONS
HINDER EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Opportunities remain limited Key Indicators of Gender Equality

Perfect Gender Parity - 1
Reformist governments and Gender Equality in Work
eminent revolutionists have fought Healthcare & Education
social ills and undertaken initiatives Political Representation
Violence against women
to further the cause of womens 0.97
0.96
rights. Still, barriers to womens 0.89
progress persist and deep rooted 0.81 0.81
social norms cause the divide to vary
anywhere from inhibiting the girl
child from securing basic education 0.75
0.63 0.58
to women-unfriendlycorporate 0.5 0.72
policies hindering post-maternity 0.56 0.85 0.67
return to the workplace. As a result,
while women are severely under 0.3
0.3
represented in most well-paying 0.19 0.35
sectors they are, at the same time, 0.16
disproportionately well-represented 0.11 0.15
in subsistence-income occupations
such as care and agriculture.
India Asia East / S.E. Asia China N. America / Oceania

Expect in case of Violence against Women,

India fares poorly on all indicators
of Gender Equality
Source: McKinsey Global Institute-The Power of Parity
 THE RATIONALE FOR WOMEN IN THE LABOURFORCE
10 11
While the economic rationale for Indian women to join in the labour force is compelling, the socio-cultural transformation that Individual [Moral / Ethical] Considerations
large scale infusion of women in the workforce could bring about is even more appealing. Arguably, the economic and the
cultural contexts are intertwined and reinforce each other, effectively suppressing womens rights and perpetuating gender It is critical to note that while we make a case for
hierarchy. women in the labour force and argue that
traditional norms many of which are obsolete
proscribe gender roles which hinder gender
Gender hierarchy a social ill that relegates women to a status inferior to men is, in turn, reinforced by the lack of
equality in society and at work, we recognize
nancial and vocational independence women suffer from.
and appreciate the varied views individuals may
Gender stereotypes conne women to traditionally feminine vocations which are not necessarily fullling or hold regarding gender roles.
enriching and to nancial entitlements primarily decided by men.
For instance, child-rearing is a potentially
These are the connes women need to unshackle themselves from to nd their rightful place in both society and conicting area as far as gender roles are
business. Financial and vocational independence is what this demands. concerned. Our stand, regarding such deeply
held norms, is that societal attitudes and
beliefs have evolved the world over. Progressive
Women at work the payoff nations have taken the leap of faith into
alternative livelihood options that make much
The measure of the economic payoff with women joining in the better economic as well as cultural sense. India
labour force is, therefore, a tangible outcome of womens needs to awaken itself to possibilities and not
emancipation. Although it is eventually an individuals choice in miss the woods for the trees equality and
pursuing her own course of life, the lesser such choice is justice must prevail over all other
inuenced by obsolete social sanctions the more freedom considerations.
women would enjoy.
A transformational shift in the number of women at work could
bring about long-desired outcomes of better parity with men
across opportunity, role and rewards, autonomy and a strong EQUALITY AND JUSTICE MUST
voice in decision making and, nally, equitable sharing in
household responsibilities. To the familial system this could
PREVAIL OVER ALL OTHER
mean the fostering of values of dignity of labour and CONSIDERATIONS
professional success. As a greater good for the society it could
help curb several social evils such as female infanticide, child
marriage, property inheritance and violence against women. It
would greatly benet the economy by helping to more than
adequately replace an aged, retiring, workforce. On the
contrary, a disproportionately low participation of women in the
labour force may cause grave damage to the economy.
Besides home and work, greater female participation in the
labour force would also usher equality in the realms of
political participation and leadership, law and safety and
socio-cultural autonomy.

Gender Hierarchy, Stereotyping and Subjugation

A conation of tradition and the Victorian era has perpetuated the above
trifecta of gender hierarchy, stereotyping and subjugation in India. The
inequality faced and endured by women has a direct consequence of
ROLES gender stereotyping. Many societal roles, behaviour and privileges are
bifurcated into male and female domains, and transgressions are either
implicitly or covertly discouraged. While the urban mindsets have, by and
CAREER
large, undergone signicant change the smaller cities, towns and rural
areas have retained substantial small-town attitudes. The Khap
(Kangaroo Court) societies, for example, actively reprimand if not
EMPLOYEMENT punish / advocate punishment for violation of such gender-space
constrictions.

Although stereotyping has its share of regressive fallout for men, women
WAGES carry the brunt of this social evil. Their subjugation at the hands of often
rigid, outdated, dictats restricts much personal choice, access to
education, employment and trade / business opportunities, as well as
EDUCATION the freedom to pursue a profession / vocation outside of the connes of
home.
 EDUCATION TO EMPLOYMENT: THE NARROWING FUNNEL
12 13
Access to education is, perhaps, the rst and the most brutal discriminatory hurdle the girl child faces, morbid chance of
infanticide aside. The discrimination goes beyond just access (at multiple stages) and signicantly lesser proportion of
Urban Professional Women:
women enrol into technical, vocational and managerial education compared with men. The likelihood of pursuing a Yet another stereotype!
worthwhile career diminishes, on the back of a forced choice of lifelong dependence.
The discontinuity of education or the choice of more-or-less stereotypical choices of higher education is Female Labourforce Participation Rate in India
determined by considerations of marriage and homemaking. 40
Thereafter, the sharper drop in labour force participation may be explained by the substantial number of women who choose
36
35 35 30
not to enter the labour force despite being qualied with technical, vocational or managerial education. The resultant statistic 30 31

% of women
is a meager labour force participation rate. Three stark trends related to the female labour force participation rate are a
substantially lower urban statistic, a general downtrend over the past two decades and India bringing up the rear in 25
22
participation among the BRICS nations by no measure is the emerging picture an encouraging sign. 20 20 20
19
Once part of the labour force, women constitute a lower proportion than men across almost all sectors. The predominant 15
theme is their populating sectors that require process-orientation rather than engineering effort, the couple redeeming 10
exceptions being Software / Information Technology and Telecommunication. This chart, still, does not include the millions in Urban Rural
5
mere subsistence work such as Agriculture and Care.
0
1999-2000 2004-2005 2009-2010 2011-2012

Enrolment In Higher Education Although the gap has narrowed,

Percentage enrollment more rural women are in the labour force
than urban
Women are often It is time the myth is busted. Rural women enter the labour force in far
larger numbers than urban women do. The reason is simple: women are
61.2 Faced with stereotypical Choices cooped relatively easily, compared to men, into subsistence wage work.

in Higher Education Source: National Sample Survey Organisation (68th Round 2011-12)

50.1
Female
Male

17.2 20.2 A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF

14.7
URBAN WOMEN CHOOSE NOT
8.6 5.4 T O WORK DESPITE BEING
3.5 2.8 2.3 1.4 2.2 1.2 0.8
1.3 1.6
SUITABLY QUALIFIED
BA, B.Sc B.Tech M.A B.Ed M.Sc M.B.A M.Com Others
B.Com B.E (Ph.D, Dip, etc)
Source: Confederation of Indian Industry Women want to work, though ..
A study by the Evidence for Policy Design Initiative,
Urban non-working women: social signaling? Harvard University, reveals that women in such
The patriarchal inuence on urban women who are educated and well-qualied but desist from joining the labour force households rural and urban, equally wish to work
warrants a separate study, perhaps. The trend illustrating a severe rural-urban divide is telling, in terms of the archaic sense but social norms restrict them. The study paints a
of taboo a signicant section of society associates with working women. paradoxical picture of increasingly well-educated
women contrasted with the falling labour force
It needs to be qualied that the taboo cuts across demographic and regional divides and, therefore, is prevalent in the participation rate we have depicted above.
hinterland to a greater extent than in cities. How it manifests, though, is an interesting phenomenon.
A strong-willed, sustained, catalytic effort from all
Poverty and lack of mechanisation / automation in agriculture have traditionally driven women to subsistence quar ters the government, business and
work in the elds and the farm. enterprise, and social organizations concerned with
While in the cities, misplaced middle-class moralities we hypothesize leads to a large proportion of this cohort womens empowerment is an absolute need to
accessing decent or even privileged education but choosing not to join in the labour force. pull society of this morass. More importantly, it
might well be the educated womans prerogative to
The social signal the section of the Indian middle class desisting from work, perhaps, wants to send out is a sense of demand, obtain and leverage such a catalysis for
entitlement bestowed upon women being nurtured in a patriarchal set up. This out-dated societal attitude further emancipation.
emphasises gender roles and propagates bias especially down the societal hierarchy.
 DIVERSITY: WHAT AILS THE WORKPLACE?
14 15
The severe under representation of women in the workforce in India is symptomatic of extreme inequality and archaic belief
Hierarchical Progression - across genders
Career advancement by sector Entry Level Mid mgmt Sr. Mgmt C' suite
systems. However, the deciency is not just at the sector level. As one digs further one could go deep and wide and nd the
under representation prevailing across functional domains and along hierarchies. This factor is not explained enough by just We now break the numbers for each sector down
Women face
the societal resistance we have discussed so far. Workplace bias constitutes an entirely new battleground for women. to hierarchical levels and look at how efcient the C' suite 10.0%
Increasing resistance in moving up
sectors are, in terms of career progression. The Sr. Mgmt 17.0% the hierarchy..
general factors that contribute to sectors being
There is a workplace stereotype that is at the root of this problem. diverse are a modern, friendly workplace, fast Mid mgmt 34.0%
Women are perceived and on no valid grounds to be suited to roles The Workplace Stereotype growth and roles that (stereotypically) suit Entry Level 39.0%
that do not require physical or intellectual heavy lifting or those that are women in large volumes. Sectors that are not as
traditionally considered masculine in terms of their demands for The workplace bias against women is diverse are characterized by roles that demand a
contact-sport like vigour. hydra headed roles, wages, career fair degree of physical exertion, roles for which Hierarchical Progression - Women
Men, on the other hand, are discriminated as well, for roles that are progression and leadership are the four women are usually not adequately qualied and
broad heads that get in the way of women workplaces situated far away from habitats. Entry Level Mid mgmt Sr. Mgmt C' suite
considered feminine and chided for being effeminate if they choose to
work in such roles. It could be argued that this aspect while it restricts participating in a fair and square labour
market. BFSI and Software seem to have the most C' suite 1.0%
the choices for men affects women more by painting them into a efcient career funnels for women. BFSI,
...and disproportionate narrowing
stereotyped corner. Sr. Mgmt 9.0% of opportunity
Women, in general, are more likely to be particularly, has great parity right up to the
relegated to either process-oriented roles leadership level. It has, for long, had roles women Mid mgmt 27.0%
The global debate about discrimination on grounds of wages also or to staff functions. In contrast, men are comfortably took to. Over time, progression for Entry Level 63.0%
intensely plays out in India. It is a double whammy when one considers more likely to be employed in line women has also turned out to be efcient.
wage-based discrimination in addition to the role-based discrimination functions. This limits the chances of Software and I.T. rms are able to offer great 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%
above. On the one hand the labour market considers women less career progression within an organization working conditions and have a far lower degree of
privileged to be considered for certain, coveted, roles and on the other, it for women. bias since they are relatively new-age. The Source: NASSCOM, 2014
deems t to not pay them on par with men. Women, on their part, do not scenario in the U.S., by the way, is contrasting.
seem to exhibit any inherent deciency that deserves such malice. Silicon Valley technology rms have gained a The top ve sector on Gender Diversity
reputation for being biased against women. The
Valley has nurtured a male-cult and initiatives Entry Level Mid mgmt Sr. Management
A male-volent leadership discourse such as Lean In are aimed at challenging this
All this, and an even bigger hurdle in the form of stereotyped leadership capabilities, stand in the way of more women that status quo.
truly deserve from progressing toward leadership. This last barrier is the biggest and the knottiest among all. The, often, 14% Factors favoring Gender Diversity
ambiguous denition and characteristic of leadership and the mythical discourse related to it is dominated by masculine Airline and Hospitality businesses have Software & I.T 11% Better working conditions
historically positioned themselves as women- 5%
traits. The stereotype helps in branding women as either trying too hard, being too pleasant or too aggressive, all while they Conventional roles
friendly workplaces. Although the two sectors are 19%
are merely carrying out their roles much like and perhaps as effectively as their male counterparts. Travel & Hospitality 10% Fast expansion
awash with stereotypical roles these are roles 4%
The barriers to women do not just persist in continuing and progressing within an organization. They prevail in the various with which women associate a high degree of 28%
stages women might cross in their workplace journey marriage, maternity and child-rearing are typical milestones along the dignity and pride. BPO/ITeS 8%
2%
journey when women might want out, temporarily, and many employers have yet to formulate effective policy frameworks and 21%
organizational practices that could accommodate such realities. On the list of sectors that are not as diverse all, BFSI 12%
except Telecommunication, are perceived to 6%
While a lot of progressive organizations have put in place policies and practices that address some of these aspects, even have jobs that demand signicantly higher Healthcare & 22%
such measures are early in the day and work-in-progress. The increasing demands of the modern workplace, with its cross- 16%
physical exertion and qualications that are pharmaceuticals 4%
cultural and multi-locational work dimensions counteract such measures as well. conventionally male-oriented.

Sector that attract women .. and the rest

and those that repel them Entry Level Mid mgmt Sr. Management
Process-orientation helps, although
Software and Telecommunication are exceptions
% of women in the workforce - sector 7%
Engineering & Auto 6% Factors going against Gender Diversity
42.4 3%
39.2
Physical exertion
38.7 9%
33 Engineering & Core 7%
Unsuitable Qualication
28.5
23 2% Location
19.3 10%
18.1
16.3 Manufacturing 7%
2%
13%
Telecommunication 7%
3%
Healthcare &
pharmaceuticals

Travel & Hospitality

Telecommunication

Engineering & Core

BFSI

Manufacturing
BPO / ITeS

Software & I.T

Engineering & Auto

Source: NASSCOM,2014; Evidence for Policy Design Initiative at Harvard University, 2013

Source: India Skills Report, CII-PeopleStrong-Wheebox, 2014)

 THE GLASS CEILING: WHAT, REALLY, IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF BIAS AT THE WORKPLACE?
16
So, a rather chauvinistic labour market is what women in
India seem to be up against. The formidable bias against
women arises from the labour market being largely male-
dominated and having nurtured a masculine characteristic
in its DNA for several decades. The accretion of stereotypes
has resulted in a work ethic that is steeped in masculinity
and it is this work ethic that women force-t themselves on
Inherent structural mismatch
for women Privilege
to, playing by the rules made by men. It is this masculine
work ethic that is the root cause of bias.
Let us deconstruct this work ethic. Synthesizing the
arguments that we have put forth so far with the research
ndings the following factors shape the ethic
Frictionless entry and
progress for men
WHAT WOMEN WANT
17
Findings from the survey of women professionals across senior and middle management levels
We surveyed 275 women professionals to understand their perceptions of gender diversity in Indian organizations and their
expectations from employers on measures to tackle gender inequality. The ndings indicate that there is a heightened sense
of the need for equality in the workplace and for effective measures to be implemented towards achieving this objective.
More than a third of the respondents say Existence of Gender Bias in Indian companies
they clearly recognize bias in the Indian Existence of Gender in Indian companies, 0
workplace. While this may seem like a
generalization, there is an equal sized
Don't know Can't say, 12%
respondent segment which separates the Yes, 36%
wheat from chaff and indicates that bias
is prevalent in either some or very few
companies. Less than a sixth felt that
there is no bias in the Indian workplace. In very few
companies, 16%
An overwhelming majority (72%) is,
therefore, aware of the presence of
gender bias in the workplace.

Pathways Practices In some companies, 20% No, 16%

MEASURES TO ENSURE GENDER EQUALITY

Men-friendly practices and
men-centric discourse -27% Organizations were seen to be at
Flexi-time options 47%
signicant variance with
Peers -12% respondent expectations of the
Male-dominated networks, Clear wage standards and parity 42%
measures to be implemented to
even for women -18% tackle gender inequality. The gap
Transparent performance criteria / reviews 22%
as respondents perceive it
-37% seems to be that employers are
Maternity leaves and back 22%
getting there but are more
Privilege affords men to join in the labour market and progress along the labour market journey with little friction. Their -72% compliance-oriented than
selection into the market is more spontaneous and more men, by societal design, are endowed with the correct credentials Sexual harassment policies 16% oriented towards equality.
for this unfair advantage. -51%
More women in leadership / on the board 12%
Practices labour market practices have been designed for men, and have evolved over decades rolling with masculine, and
intellectual, heavylifting, so much so that business discourse is rarely complete without the myths and storytelling that -27%
Leadership training / orientation 11%
eulogise male characteristics.
-15%
Peers networks in the labour market are, again, a formidable web of male domination. Good deeds, and words that Sabbaticals - learning / career 7%
propagate the good deeds, ow mostly via male labour market participants. Female labour market participants are, more
often than not, part of male-dominated networks. What measures are implemented What women want
Pathways career advancements happen through a combination of workplace qualications, roles, functions and reward
mechanisms that are skewed towards males. Most women are inherently disadvantaged by misaligned trajectories on such
pathways. GENDER ROLES
In summary, the glass ceiling women are attempting to crack open is a male-ordained set of rules and routines. Indian
employers need to see this self-fullling and unquestioned workplace atmosphere for what it is an imbalanced and Gender Roles
Men and Women must
inequitable architecture that needs to be redesigned and rebuilt into a brave, new, gender-agnostic edice. carry out gender-specic
responsibilities, 16%

Gender role stereotypes are a thing of the past for a

Men and Women can
fulll responsibilities
regardless of gender,
84%
good, 84% of respondents. These respondents
believe that both men and women are equally
emancipated and could assume whatever
responsibility they feel is apt. However, about a sixth
of all respondents still seem to believe that each
gender has its own set of dened responsibilities it
must take on.
 WHAT WOMEN WANT
18 19
One primary responsibility - for men and women Highest numbers of women on the boards of directors - across sectors
Men Women

25.00
33%
Home & Work
61% 20.00

52% 15.00
Work
16%
10.00

15%
Home 5.00
23%

0.00

When asked to pick just one primary responsibility for women and for men, each, a majority of respondents concurred on MAX
womens responsibility being split between home and work, and mens being toward work. Just about a third exhibited a truly
unbiased outlook with a belief that men must focus on home and work equally, just as women must. BFSI Manufacturing Service IT, ITES and Telecommunication Infrastructure FMCG

Womens induction into the boards of directors - trends

The nancial regulators mandate that publicly listed
companies induct at least one woman on their boards has
seen some action on the ground that is favourable to
bringing in equality to the board room. Such a step, Statistical averages for women on boards of directors - across sectors
implemented across businesses, could mean better
decision making through the consideration of varied views
by the boards and, therefore, better corporate governance.
We studied trends across publicly listed companies and 9.00 8.00
look at those sectors that have a prominent representation
of women on their boards. 8.00 7.00
Clearly, the IT, ITeS and Telecommunication sectors,
followed by BFSI, have more women directors on their 7.00
6.00
board, compared with the rest. Manufacturing with an
average of six directors on the board springs a surprise, 6.00
since the sector has an otherwise poor population of 5.00
women as a whole. 5.00
4.00
Also, there is a high divergence of the number of women 4.00
directors among companies, within each sector as
indicated by the appreciable Standard Deviation values, 3.00
3.00
implying that the representation is not very consistent and
that equality is yet to gain adequate currency at the board 2.00
level, in spite of policy reforms. 2.00

1.00 1.00

0.00 0.00
BFSI Manufacturing Service IT, ITES and Infrastructure FMCG
Telecommunication

Mean Std. Deviation

 A ROADMAP TO GENDER EQUALITY THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY
20 21

Policy Measures adequately funded and

implemented via Technology The Indian familial unit has an
inherent bias built into it, that
puts the girl child at a
disadvantage. Family members
parents and male siblings
play acritical role in making the
Transparent and Just Leadership girl child feel equally important
Performance Management Pipeline and loved as the boy and, even
more importantly, to inculcate
this sensibility in the boy child.
It is important that the woman
is accorded an equal partner
status in marriage.
Parity across Advancement Inuence societal Sensitizing every individual to
roles and and Wage attitudes these tenets early on in life will
functions Parity
help stem societal conditioning
of the bias. The right grooming,
at home rst and then at
Ushering Gender Equality into the workplace needs a comprehensive approach that takes into cognizance the historic nature school will contain the biases
of a multifaceted problem which has its roots in society and culture. We propose a layered roadmap that has a set of three from creeping into society.
building blocks at the foundation all centred on establishing parity.
Once the basics are in place organizations must address the managerial and leadership gaps and aim to groom women
leaders from within the organization. This second layer must enable employers to nally articulate policies, capitalize the
initiative and catalyse the entire transformation via technology.
Even before businesses lay out policies they and, equally importantly, society and women need to address the social evil
that the phenomenon of Gender Diversity is. Such sensitization must ensure that diversity is implemented in spirits, and not
just on paper.
 THE PIVOTAL ROLE WOMEN MUST PLAY
22
All said and donethe onus for change rests, actually, with
the collective female population. Women need to realise
their self-worth and assert their right to aspiration and
achievement. They would be propagating, and reinforcing,
patriarchalconditioning when they either submit to male
domination or seek rewards and entitlements of such a
societal set up.
Collectively, women must foster amongst themselves a
sense of equality rather than one of either victimhood or
entitlement.Perhaps,a gender-neutral frame of reference is
a good starting point in journeying toward equality.
Emancipation takes nothing more
than just will power
SudhaMurthy
10 POINT RECOMMENDATION
23
We can change the tide and bend the curve in favour of women to improve their work force participation by
focusing on these following aspacts.
Labour Reform (formal, part time work): Large segments of women that are as yet out of the purview of
1 labour laws need to be brought within their fold. Simplication of the labour needs to pave way greater
workforce participation for women in formal workforce on one hand and also ensure their safety.
Tourism: Close to 90% of women employed in the Tourism industry are in low-skill and lowly paid jobs. The
2 industry needs to bring parity with initiatives such as working alongside the governments Priyadarshini
initiative that aims to undertake vocational measures and involve women as stakeholders in the Tourism
industry.
Public Transport: Besides enhancing safety and usability for women, the public transport sector must
incentivise the adoption of public transport as a means of livelihood by women. The sector could enable
3 more women in training and securing commercial driving licenses. The governments Rashtriya Mahila
Kosh (RMK) is a step in the right direction.
Micro-Finance: Micro-nance is known to empower women both economically and socially by reducing
4
poverty and increasing rural savings, as well as by enhancing their abilities and their roles in family and
institutions. Easier access to funds, especially for rural women, has the potential to substantially alleviate
poverty.
Distance Education/Online Education: MOOC platforms are gaining enormous traction globally, and such
5 platforms could enable geographically constrained women in India with modular education that is aimed at
specic occupational opportunities.
Dedicated Matching infrastructure [job fairs, employment exchanges, matching apps]: Mapping jobs to
women at an individualized level where their specic skills and needs are leveraged for the most
6 appropriate employment opportunities could be a game changer for Gender Diversity. Such platforms
would not just drive scale they would also solve for a big talent supply-demand problem.
Urbanisation: Migration to cities for employment is harder for women than men in India. Creating
7 employment opportunities for women by taking jobs to where they live could positively impact diversity. This
would also decongest cities and help better rural employment.
Work related security: India as a global delivery destination has meant enormous opportunities for women
in the workforce. Womens security, however, has not kept pace with the opportunity. Governments and
8 employers need to modernize and implement effective security measures for women at workplaces as well
as in transit.
Up-skilling: The subsistence level employment bias against women needs concerted measures to up-skill
them in order to empower women in higher paying workplace roles that have been traditionally a mens
9 bastion. The NSDC as well as private initiatives need to design courses that train women for better paying
jobs.
Hygiene amenities: Workplace and outbound amenities for hygiene are a signicant hindrance in getting
10 more women into the workforce. Employers especially in the micro- and small-business sectors need to
be sensitized to this deciency and enabled to create women-friendly amenities.
Teamlease
24 25

ANNEXURE
Labour Statistics
26 27

Distribution of Workforce by sector

Primary Sectors % of Female Primary Sectors % of Male

Agri, hunting, forestry 70.2 Agri, hunting, forestry 48.5

Manufacturing 10.5 Construction 12.7

Construction 4.6 Trade 10.8

Trade 3.5 Manufacturing 10.7

Education 3.4 Transport & commerce 5.6

Other social services 1.8 Public admin & defence 2.1

Others 1.6 Other social services 1.8

Health & social work 1.1 Education 1.7

Public admin & defence 0.9 Hotel & restaurant 1.4

Hotel & restaurant 0.8 Real estate 1.3

Transport & commerce 0.4 Financial intermediaries 0.9

Real estate 0.4 Mining 0.7

Financial intermediaries 0.4 Health & social work 0.5

Mining 0.3 Fishing 0.5

Fishing 0.1 Others 0.4

Electricity, gas, water 0 Electricity, gas, water 0.3

28 29

Share of Women by Industry Group Distribution of Male and Female Workers in Different Occupational
Groups in Urban Areas of States
Industry Groups Percent of Women among Workers
Male Female
State/UT
AFF MFG CONS TRS OTH AFF MFG CONS TRS OTH
Agri, hunting, forestry 36.1
Andhra Pradesh 58.2 61.9 89.6 80.6 78.9 41.8 38.1 10.4 19.4 21.1
Construction 15.1
Assam 74.4 84 98.5 92.9 80.9 25.6 16 1.5 7.1 19.1

Education 43.7 Bihar 78.6 88.5 95.5 95 90.9 21.4 11.5 4.5 5 9.1

Gujarat 65.9 85.1 92.8 93 76.2 34.1 14.9 7.2 7 23.8

Electricity, gas, water 7.8
Haryana 70.6 93.7 97.2 96.7 75.8 29.4 6.3 2.8 3.3 24.2

Financial intermediaries 16.1 Himachal Pradesh 41.3 75.5 91 89.3 78.7 58.7 24.5 9 10.7 21.3

Karnataka 78.2 66.2 93.9 92.1 74.6 21.8 33.8 6.1 7.9 25.4
Fishing 11.6
Kerala 70.1 61 93.1 80.5 66.4 29.9 39 6.9 19.5 33.6

Health & social work 41.4 Madhya Pradesh 73 77.6 92.2 90.3 80.9 27 22.4 7.8 9.7 19.1

Maharashtra 56.9 76.4 89.3 91.2 74.3 43.1 23.6 10.7 8.8 25.7
Hotel & restaurant 15.5
Odisha 66.6 70.3 79.6 84.7 84.1 33.4 29.7 20.4 15.3 15.9

Manufacturing 28.5 Punjab 63.1 85.5 98 96.6 72.7 36.9 14.5 2 3.4 27.3

Rajasthan 41.6 72.8 87.3 92.6 80.1 58.4 27.2 12.7 7.4 19.9
Mining & Quarrying 14.4
Tamil Nadu 64.5 66.5 91.5 84.8 74.6 35.5 33.5 8.5 15.2 25.4

Other social services 29.1 Uttar Pradesh 77.8 75.7 96.1 96 84.1 22.2 24.3 3.9 4 15.9

West Bengal 84.1 75.7 97.3 89.5 70.3 15.9 24.3 2.7 10.5 29.7
Public admin & defence 12.3
Jharkhand 73.6 85 95.5 95.8 84.9 26.4 15 4.5 4.2 15.1

Real estate 12.2 Chhattisgarh 52.4 75.2 65.4 86.3 65.2 47.6 24.8 34.6 13.7 34.8

Uttarakhand 78.8 82.5 99.4 95.2 79.5 21.2 17.5 0.6 4.8 20.5
Trade 10.9
Delhi 100 92.4 98 88.7 78.9 0 7.6 2 11.3 21.1

Transport & Communication 2.0 Other NE States 64.5 49.7 94.1 70.5 78.1 35.5 50.3 5.9 29.5 21.9

Other States 87.9 82.8 87.9 87.5 76.1 12.1 17.2 12.1 12.5 23.9
Others 67.0
India 67.2 75.8 91.6 90 76.5 32.8 24.2 8.4 10 23.5

AFF = Agriculture and Fishing; MFG = Manufacturing; CONS = Construction; TRS = Trade and
Repair Services, and; OTH = Other Occupations
 Distribution of Male and Female Workers in Different State-wise Worker Population Ratio
30 31
Occupational Groups Rural Areas of States Rural Urban
State/Union Territory
Female Male Female Male
Male Female A&N Islands 26.1 59.2 20 60.7
State/UT
AFF MFG CONS TRS OTH AFF MFG CONS TRS OTH Andhra Pradesh 44.5 60.2 17 55.4
Arunachal Pradesh 27.8 48.3 12.7 45.7
Andhra Pradesh 52.5 50.7 67.3 74.6 76.6 47.5 49.3 32.7 25.4 23.4
Assam 12.2 54 9 54.2
Assam 77.2 88.7 91.4 95.9 84.5 22.8 11.3 8.6 4.1 15.5
Bihar 5.3 47.3 4.5 42.1
Bihar 89.1 85 97.4 95.2 91.9 10.9 15 2.6 4.8 8.1 Chandigarh 4.7 56.7 12.1 54.7
Chhattisgarh 41.5 55.7 24 49.6
Gujarat 64.8 81.9 81.1 87.7 82.2 35.2 18.1 18.9 12.3 17.8
D&N Haveli 16.1 48.8 11.5 57.6
Haryana 66.7 91 93.2 99.5 89.2 33.3 9 6.8 0.5 10.8
Daman & Diu 3.4 69.4 14.8 59.5
Himachal Pradesh 30.4 87.8 84 87.5 79.6 69.6 12.2 16 12.5 20.4 Delhi 14.6 49.3 10.4 53
Goa 21 54.7 15.7 51.1
Karnataka 64.1 67.3 91.7 81.8 82.5 35.9 32.7 8.3 18.2 17.5
Gujarat 27.8 59.9 13.3 60.3
Kerala 61.6 56.2 79.6 87.2 70.6 38.4 43.8 20.4 12.8 29.4
Haryana 16.2 51.8 9.7 51.4
Madhya Pradesh 67.2 69.6 76.8 85.6 88.6 32.8 30.4 23.2 14.4 11.4 Himachal Pradesh 52.4 54.1 21.2 60
Jammu & Kashmir 25.5 54.7 11.7 53.9
Maharashtra 54 79.6 82.5 79.8 83 46 20.4 17.5 20.2 17
Jharkhand 19.8 53.3 6.6 48
Odisha 67 55.7 81.5 89.7 80.7 33 44.3 18.5 10.3 19.3
Karnataka 28.7 61.2 16.3 57.9
Punjab 59.1 74.2 98.4 92.9 77.4 40.9 25.8 1.6 7.1 22.6 Kerala 22.1 56.5 19.1 55.2

Rajasthan 48.8 82.2 71.2 87.5 83.3 51.2 17.8 28.8 12.5 16.7 Lakshadweep 10.5 54.8 11.6 55
Madhya Pradesh 23.9 56.1 11.5 52
Tamil Nadu 61.1 55.1 45.5 71.9 80 38.9 44.9 54.5 28.1 20
Maharashtra 38.8 57.6 16.6 54.9
Uttar Pradesh 67 76.5 95.9 93.8 84.6 33 23.5 4.1 6.2 15.4 Manipur 26.2 51 18.2 45.6

West Bengal 81.2 48.8 91.8 92 79.2 18.8 51.2 8.2 8 20.8 Meghalaya 39.1 52.7 20.2 50.3
Mizoram 39.4 59.1 24.9 48.7
Jharkhand 62.8 73.5 96.2 91.5 87.7 37.2 26.5 3.8 8.5 12.3
Nagaland 31.2 50.4 14.4 41.2
Chhattisgarh 53.9 68.5 65.3 77.5 76.1 46.1 31.5 34.7 22.5 23.9 Odisha 24.6 59.2 15.5 57.9

Uttarakhand 39.6 72.7 96.6 92.4 91.3 60.4 27.3 3.4 7.6 8.7 Puducherry 22.1 51.7 14.7 54.8
Punjab 23.4 56.6 13.6 57
Delhi 100 77.7 100 40.7 87.5 0 22.3 0 59.3 12.5
Rajasthan 34.7 49.5 14.1 49
Other NE States 61.8 49.2 59.1 73.8 77.5 38.2 50.8 40.9 26.2 22.5 Sikkim 48.7 58 27.3 60.9

Other States 63.8 75.5 81.2 76.6 75.5 36.2 24.5 18.8 23.4 24.5 Tamil Nadu 37.8 59.5 20.1 58.7
Tripura 22.8 56.2 11.3 52.5
India 63.9 66.6 82.6 87.9 82.2 36.1 33.4 17.4 12.1 17.8
Uttar Pradesh 17.7 49.1 10.2 51.1
AFF = Agriculture and Fishing; MFG = Manufacturing; CONS = Construction; TRS = Trade and
Repair Services, and; OTH = Other Occupations Uttarakhand 30.8 45.2 8.6 50.6
West Bengal 18.9 58.6 17.4 60.2
INDIA 24.8 54.3 14.7 54.6
 NOTES .. NOTES ..
32 33