IT CAN GET lonely at the top and even more so, if you are a woman leading an organisation. For women, shattering the so-called glass ceiling or breaking into the "boys' club" has never been easy and it remains an uphill battle where they often have to manage and juggle personal and professional responsibilities and also take on biases both conscious and unconscious-to not only prove that they have what it takes to be a dedicated employee but also that they deserve the next big promotion or pay hike.
This is an even bigger challenge in a country like India that is known for its low female labour force participation rate. Various reports and surveys have time and again highlighted this paradox in India and much of South Asia where despite accounting for half the population, women largely tend to stay out of the workforce and even fewer find representation at the middle- and top management levels.
This was also highlighted by a recent study by think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). It found that while there has been some increase in women in top management roles, India still lags the global average.
Women in top management roles have increased from nearly 14% in FY14 to about 22% in FY23, noted the paper titled 'Female Leadership in Corporate India: Firm Performance and Culture'. It, however, found that India still lags in the share of women in middle-and senior management roles at only 20%, compared to nearly 33% for the world (as of 2019). "Almost 60% of the firms studied did not have any women in top management teams as of March 2023," the study says.
It also found that the mandate was not replicated in top management teams (C-suites). More than half of the NSE-listed firms in the sample didn't have even one woman in their top management teams, and about 10% of firms had just one woman.
CHALLENGES GALORE
Esta historia es de la edición November 24, 2024 de Business Today India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición November 24, 2024 de Business Today India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
"Moving to cloud helped us grow❞
What was the problem you were grappling with?
She's Got Time
MORE WOMEN ARE BECOMING WATCH CONNOISSEURS, SEEKING OUT BOTH JEWELLED AND TECHNICAL WATCHES FOR THEIR STYLE AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
RISING STAR
PARUL GULATI IS a name that's been steadily gaining prominence in the Indian entertainment industry after she appeared on season 2 of Shark Tank in 2023. She has become a multifaceted personality who effortlessly transitions between acting and entrepreneurship.
Building on a Legacy
WHEN ZAHABIYA KHORAKIWALA stepped into her role as Managing Director of Wockhardt Hospitals over a decade ago, she confronted formidable challenges that have since turned into achievements.
LEADER IN INNOVATION
AS FEDEX'S PRESIDENT (Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa), Kami Viswanathan has a lot on her plate.
WAITING IN THE WINGS
Here are those who missed out as they have not yet completed a year in office; they'll be strong contenders in 2025
A DECENT PROPOSAL
IN TODAY'S WORLD OF TRYING TO CREATE AN EQUITABLE SPACE, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR HOUSEHOLDS. WOMEN ARE ENCOURAGED TO HAVE THEIR OWN SAVINGS POOL AND INVESTMENT ROUTINE. GIVEN THIS, HOW SHOULD FUTURE BRIDES APPROACH FINANCIAL PLANNING?
Women and the STEM Bias
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN STEM WILL NOT ONLY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALSO STRENGTHEN THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY, DRIVING INNOVATION AND PROGRESS.
ROCKET WOMEN
WOMEN IN INDIA ARE NOT ONLY VENTURING INTO SPACE BUT ARE ALSO STARTING TO SPEARHEAD THE COUNTRY'S EFFORTS IN THE GLOBAL SPACE RACE.
ONE STEP FORWARD
THE NUMBER OF WOMEN INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS IS GROWING STEADILY, BUT IT'S A LONG WAY FROM GENDER PARITY. MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO BREAK THE GLASS CEILING IN BOARDROOMS.
