Women in India’s Technology Workforce

Representation of Women in the Technology Industry

According to Nasscom, women make up 36% of the technology sector workforce in India based on its July 2023 report. In a separate industry study published in early 2023, about 1.3 million women are currently employed in the technology workforce; see Table 2.1.

Table 2.1: Industries and Roles Within the Tech Sector by Share of Women in Workforce

Verticals	% Share of women
By Sector
IT & BPO/Knowledge processing outsourcing	31
BFSI	29
Pharmaceutical & Healthcare	28
Media & Entertainment	23
Retail and Fast-moving consumer goods	18
Infrastructure & Transport	10
Manufacturing & Production	8

Verticals	% Share of women
By Company Type
Consultancy firms	38
IT Providers	33
Captives/GCCs	32
Boutique Analytics Firm	28
Domestic Firms	21

Verticals	% Share of women
By Role (Overall)	29
Associate	34
C-Level roles	20
Senior Vice President/Vice President (SVP/VP)	16
Manager	16
Director	15

Verticals	% Share of women
By Leadership Roles by Sector (Overall)	8
BFSI	12
IT & BPO/KPO	11
Media & Entertainment	2
Retail & FMCG	1
Pharmaceutical & Healthcare	1
Infrastructure & Transport	1
Manufacturing & Production	1

Industry Trends

The IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) sector employs the highest number of women in tech with its consistent efforts to ensure the inclusivity of women in IT companies, especially in recruitment and retention strategies. The least number belongs to the manufacturing sector as women are commonly discouraged from working in this field due to the nature of the workload.

Meanwhile, women are mostly employed in consultancy firms given that these companies prioritise diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their employment practices. Other factors attracting women to work for these firms are fair gender pay, availability of flexible workplace arrangements and access to professional development.

In terms of the share in designation, associate roles are most common for women in tech. The overall participation of women in STEM roles is generally low and despite efforts to promote women in leadership, there are leadership positions that are not open for women. At 20%, women only occupy 1 in 5 C-suite roles, with the industry having the lowest at the director level.

Lastly, when compared to other sectors, BFSI has the highest number of women in leadership positions. This is due to the various initiatives that encourage women to be engaged in financial decision-making roles; particularly, this can be attributed to the women’s traditional role of handling household finances. This leveraging factor opens a pathway for women to advance into leadership positions.

Women in the GCC sector

According to an industry report, India's GCCs employ more than 5,000 global roles; that total is expected to increase to approximately 20,000 by 2030. Global roles are positions that have international or global scope who report to a global leader based outside of India and require working with stakeholders and teams from several parts of the world. These roles assume responsibilities such as change management, product/process ownership, management of multiple markets/geographies and collaboration with the business by understanding the market and customer insights.

As of June 2022, there were 900 women who were employed in global roles. This was about 18% of India’s total GCC global roles and is projected to increase to 30% by 2030, equivalent to an estimated 4,000 women. This surge is due to several initiatives by the government and organisations to increase awareness of women leadership, and dedicated diversity and inclusion programs.

Initiatives to Support Women in the Technology Industry

Government Upskilling Programs

Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS): Since 2019, the JSS scheme has trained about 1.38 million individuals, 81% of which were women, who are not able to reach high school level in rural and suburban areas. This initiative by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship aims to provide livelihood opportunities, as well as to improve productivity, efficiency and employability of underrepresented people, including women. Thirty percent of its Industrial Training Institutes are allocated and reserved for women and underrepresented groups. Through JSS, the ministry addresses literacy and skills disparity in the marginalized group of the population with an emphasis on digital and soft skills integrating information and communication technology tools, along with practice and fieldwork experience. This scheme is part of the government’s goal to equip its citizens across all levels with the necessary skills and knowledge towards a transformational economic development of India’s digital economy in the coming years For FY 2023-2024, the Directorate of JSS and the National Council for Vocational Education and Training developed and approved 35 courses that are aligned with the National Skills Qualification Framework Level 2. Currently, the scheme has a total of 50 courses targeting 23 sectors, which include electronic and hardware, automotive, IT/ITES and agriculture.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Over two million youth, 46% of whom are women, have gained employment from the PMKVY program in the last three years. This scheme is in association with the National Skills Development Corporation, providing certified skills training to youth to improve their employability by securing relevant industry skills. In its last scheme, PMKVY 3.0 in 2021, enhanced support and benefits were provided, including coverage for conveyance, boarding and lodging costs, on top of three-year accidental insurance to encourage higher participation of underrepresented groups such as women, persons with disabilities, minorities and LGBTQ+.

Scholarships, Financial Aid and Online Learning Platforms

The increase in computer-related course offerings for women have influenced the improvement of women's workforce participation in India. This has expanded further in less urbanized cities like Tamil Nadu, where the number of computer science and engineering course offerings has doubled. To meet diversity targets, some companies and organisations resort to EdTech platforms to facilitate online learning of digital skills for women, providing flexibility to balance work and family. These platforms have seen a record-high number of women enrolling in a variety of computer courses such as cybersecurity, AI and data science. These enrolments are expected to increase over the years due to modern societal attitudes in terms of gender roles and more women opting to accelerate their careers in STEM roles.

Some other initiatives that various organisations and the government are offering to women who wish to pursue careers in science and technology:

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) announced its 2023-2024 round of scholarship grants to 10 women who will pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree in computer science, engineering and engineering technology. The SWE India Scholarship is limited to programmes and institutions accredited by the National Board of Accreditation in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
The Adobe India’s Women in Tech Scholarship 2023 is open for women pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in technology for the academic year 2024, specifically computer science and engineering, information science, data science, electronics and electrical engineering, math, and computing. The grant will provide a tuition fee fund, senior technology leader mentorship, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Grace Hopper Conference, a large gathering for women technologists to promote research and career interests in technology.
India’s G20 presidency marks the drive to promote the financial inclusion of women to boost their economic development through digitalisation. The G20 High-Level Principles for Digital Financial Inclusion prioritises the digital inclusion of women through a 10-point action plan for financial equality with UN Women, the UN Capital Development Fund, the World Bank, Women’s World Banking and Better Than Cash Alliance. he initiative aims to promote financial inclusion of women and children by coordinating various government bodies. It also focuses on collecting gender-disaggregated data to formulate policies for financial equality for women. Additionally, it offers incentivisation for financial service providers prioritising women, especially in rural and calamity-affected areas. In line with this, the Knowledge and Experience Exchange Program in Hyderabad launched a platform in collaboration with the Better Than Cash Alliance to promote women-led development, enforcing India’s drive towards an inclusive digital economy.

Policies to Safeguard and Empower Women Workforce

Kerala increased its Gender Budget Statement to 20.9% for FY 2022-2023 which focuses on empowering women in the IT sector with initiatives such as the Kerala Start Up Mission, IT Mission and Kudumbasharee. The state also allocated a budget for job opportunities for women in the non-IT sector, encouraging women's participation in the workforce.

Other state policies are implemented this year to ensure the safety of women in the workplace during night shifts such as:

In February 2023, the Department of Labour of the state of Haryana revised notifications to ensure the safety of women working in the IT/ITES sector during night shifts.
In April 2023, the draft of Delhi Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Rule 2023 was approved by Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand which allows women to have full security during work in night shifts, provision for overtime pay and travel allowances.
In June 2023, the state of Ladakh included a Constitution for Compliant Committee to ensure monitoring of reported assaults and sexual harassment of women at the workplace.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategies for Women

The majority of GCC sectors prioritize talent retention and hiring for a more diverse workforce with the aim of sustaining long-term goals. Policies and initiatives in GCC companies provide pay parity and flexible work opportunities for women.

Below are some of the BFSI GCCs companies that implement and enforce DEI initiatives for women:

In May 2023, NatWest Group launched its "Wish" initiative in Chennai and Gurugram to provide first-time career opportunities for women who have not been in the workforce in its GCC locations. This new strategy attracts women regardless of age to pursue tech careers in the retail banking sector.
In July 2023, the Managing Director of Mashreq Global Network (MGN) stated its DEI initiatives to foster a diverse workforce, particularly for women in its Returning Mothers programme. The six-month programme aims to aid new mothers to return to work after a career break for which they will be provided workshops, development plans and on-the-job training to ensure their smooth transition into work. MGN is committed to achieving 50-50 gender equality by 2025.

In addition, notable tech companies in India have launched initiatives that foster digital literacy and promote the employability of women.

Infosys and NASSCOM are working together on a project called Women Wizards Rule Technology (W2RT), which aims to train 10,000 women in cutting-edge technologies. This is through the help of various learning platforms such as webinars, mentorship and skilling sessions.
Since 2019, IBM’s initiative “STEM for Girls” has reached about 200,000 female high school students in India with the aim to enhance their education and career pathways in the STEM field . This three-year programme is comprised of scholarships and blended learning strategies such as mentorships, trainings, immersive workshops and STEM competitions across Indian states. With Quest Alliance and the American Indian Foundation, this initiative is being introduced to public high schools in selected cities in India to extend the reach of the programme.