Gender diversity, inclusion not just ideal, but a strategic necessity for businesses: Industry

New Delhi: The Indian IT industry has seen significant progress in gender diversity with more women now in entry and mid-level workforce.

However, their fair representation at the top and male-dominated corporate boardrooms is still disproportionate and "needs a lot of work", according to tech leaders.

Any organisation which does not encourage, and indeed, proactively work towards equitable gender representation is unlikely to have a long business life span, even client acceptance, experts said adding companies need to offer flexi-scheduling and enable remote work options where needed, to support women juggling their professional responsibilities with their personal commitments and caregiver roles.

Mentor circles at work, they point out, can also provide a strong support system, wherein senior women executives can handhold young working women and help them overcome obstacles to progression.

"India is not doing bad when it comes to education for women. 29.5 per cent of engineers in our country today are women, which is phenomenal when compared to countries like Australia and the United Kingdom, which have women representation of 14.5 per cent and 16.9 per cent respectively," said Ritesh Malik, founder of Innov8 Coworking.

CFO at BirlaSoft, Kamini Shah believes that the Indian IT industry has seen significant progress in gender diversity, with over 2 million women now contributing to the workforce.

"This growth is a result of progressive company policies and the increasing representation of women in leadership positions. The tech sector is transitioning into an inclusive environment where talent is the key differentiator," Shah said.

The level of women's representation at a senior executive level and at the board level in most organizations still needs a lot of work, according to Mita Brahma, HR Head, NIIT Limited.

At the same time, "we now have larger numbers of women at junior and middle executive levels than ever before, who are committed, innovative, and ambitious," she added.

Malik said the most important thing that needs to be done today is to foster massive diversity and ensure that boards have women representation across.

"Any organization which does not have equitable gender representation does not have a long life span," he said. Despite much development in women representation across education and workforce, industry experts feel that there remains a gender gap in the sector.

Shyamala Ramesh, Program Manager, Zoho Corporation said this is due to the fact that many women in tech quit mid-career as they do not get the support that they need.

"The responsibilities of women, especially working women, have gone up manifolds professionally and personally. Women need to work twice as hard to prove that they are no less than their male counterpart. This is a reality," Ramesh said.

She further said that companies should adopt flexible scheduling and remote work options to support women in balancing their professional responsibilities with their personal commitments.

Mentor circles at work can also provide a strong support system for women, wherein senior women guide youngsters and help them overcome their challenges, she added.

"Companies should understand that women bring to the workplace qualities such as attentiveness, perseverance in tasks, enthusiasm for learning, independent learning ability, adaptability, engagement, and strong organizational skills, which can benefit the organization in many ways," Ramesh said.

As per the latest Global Gender Gap Report (2023), women in STEM fields face many challenges.

"Despite comprising nearly half of the total employment across non-STEM occupations, women represent only 29.2 per cent of the STEM workforce in 146 nations. It is more relevant than ever to address the educational-gender-equality paradox (or STEM paradox) at the institutional level and bridge the gap," Vice-Chancellor at Shiv Nadar University (Delhi- NCR), Ananya Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee said that encouraging women's participation in STEM fields is not just about achieving equality, but also about unlocking the full potential of India's talent pool.

"Today, gender diversity is not just a matter of equality but a strategic necessity for businesses. It's crucial to establish robust support structures for women, including comprehensive maternity programs that facilitate a smooth transition into motherhood and seamless reintegration into the workforce afterward. This ensures that women can pursue their careers without compromising their personal or professional aspirations," Shah underlined.

To improve women's representation in the STEM and AI-enabled workforce, the industry, policymakers, and academia must come together to improve skilling and nurture interest among young women through mentoring, experiential learning initiatives like hackathons and apprenticeship programs, and exposure to inspirational role models, Lakshmi C, MD, and Lead-HR, Accenture India said.

"Merely hiring more women is not enough. Instead, organisations must create a culture of equality by investing in women's upskilling and creating enabling structures that help them stay in the workforce despite life-stage conflicts," she said.

Richard Lobo, Chief People Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, "Inclusion is the building block of thriving economies and sustainable companies. The global trend reflects a shift towards greater gender equality as women overcome traditional societal constraints to pursue their ambitions and inspire future generations".

Initiatives such as flexitime, safe travel arrangements, zero tolerance for sexual harassment, and tailored support for reintegration post-career breaks are not just policies but essentials in the best-employer company, Lobo said.

"These focused efforts are the bridges connecting talented women professionals with opportunities that acknowledge their worth and potential" he further added.