Fewer Indian women are working in spite of companies trying hard to improve diversity

• India is reported to have merely 27% of women in the workforce, according to the World Bank.
  
• Almost 89% companies aim at empowering women to join leadership positions, according to a study on Diversity and Inclusion programmes by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles.
  
• One in every five women in India is skilled in artificial intelligence.
• Globally, the survey ranks Australia as the most advanced market for developing Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) programmes.

The share of women in Indian workforce is as low as 27%. But the country is stepping up efforts to address the issue, according to a study on Diversity and Inclusion programmes by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles.

Almost 89% companies try to empower women to join leadership positions. The Securities and Exchange Board of India also rolled out directions on including women in the boardrooms of listed companies by early 2020.

The study also reveals that one in every five women in India is skilled in artificial intelligence.

“We are seeing a growing trend of more women becoming equipped with the latest technology skill sets. This indicates an increasing number of women in India are entering a space which was commonly seen as a male-dominated domain,” said Gauri Padmanabhan, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles.

Almost 40% of the companies across the surveyed countries have an LGBTQ inclusion programme, the survey said. However in India, participation from LGBTQ community and specially-abled category has a long way to go.

“As women break barriers and step forward in every area, we will gradually be able to create pathways for inclusion of other communities,” she added.

While all the companies surveyed have diversity and inclusion policies in place, only a third of them think they are important.

Globally, the survey ranks Australia as the most advanced market for developing Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) programmes. Singapore has shown a rampant increase in women participation in the workforce, according to the World Bank. The survey analysed responses from over 140 senior executives across India, Japan, China, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea.

See also:
Women’s day in numbers: 9 grim reminders that Indian women are still a long way off from empowerment

Only 15% of women in Indian boardrooms — new study says it’s the third lowest in Asia Pacific

TCS is running on women power, with over 150,000 permanent employees