India’s Tech Sector Sees More Women, Yet Leadership Gaps Persist
India’s tech sector has seen a rise in female representation over recent years, according to a new report. However, the study also reveals that significant gaps remain, particularly in leadership positions and pay equity.
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TeamLease Digital’s report, ‘Gender Parity – Shaping Workforce Equity,’ analyzed data from 13,000 associates. It highlights the progress made in gender diversity within the tech contractual workforce between 2020 and 2024. The report also underscores persistent challenges.
GCCs Lead in Gender Diversity Efforts
Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have demonstrated the most significant improvements in gender diversity. Female representation in GCCs climbed from 31.4% in 2020 to 38.3% in 2024. This growth is attributed to structured Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and global workforce strategies.
Despite these gains, the representation of women in senior leadership within GCCs remains low, increasing only marginally from 11.43% in 2020 to 13.60% in 2024.
The gender pay gap in GCCs is another area of concern, currently at 16.10%. The disparity is particularly noticeable at senior levels, where it reaches 16.4%. Notably, the pay gap in high-demand tech roles is 22.2%, while non-tech roles have a much smaller gap of 0.8%.
IT Services: Rising Inclusion, Limited Career Progression
The IT services sector has also experienced a boost in female workforce participation, increasing from 7.8% in 2020 to 21.2% in 2024. The report indicates that inclusive hiring policies have contributed to this improvement. However, career progression for women in this sector appears slow. Mid-level representation increased only from 4.13% to 8.93% during the same period.
Senior leadership roles also reflect this trend. Women held only 4.36% of leadership positions in 2021. It rose to 7.39% in 2023, before decreasing slightly to 6.91% in 2024. The gender pay gap further compounds this issue. While the overall IT services gap is 3.55%, increases to 6.12% at mid-level and 8.34% at senior levels. The pay gap in non-tech roles within the IT services sector is a considerable 18.3%.
Challenges such as “unconscious bias in promotions, lack of mentorship opportunities, and workplace policies that do not fully support long-term career growth” continue to hinder women’s advancement in IT services.
Tech in Non-Tech Sectors
While the tech industry demonstrates improvements, non-tech sectors, including automotive, banking, financial services, insurance (BFSI), energy, healthcare, and manufacturing, remain predominantly male-dominated. Female participation in tech roles within these industries increased from 1.9% in 2020 to 14% in 2024. However, leadership representation remains limited.
By 2024, women comprised only 4% of entry-level roles and 5.14% of mid-level positions. Disparities are more pronounced in non-tech sectors. The gender pay gap is 6% at entry levels, rising to 19% at mid-level positions before slightly narrowing to 13% at senior levels. Women’s overall representation in tech roles within these industries remains low at just 7.17%.
In these sectors, the pay gap for tech roles is 18%, compared to 15% for non-tech roles.
Addressing Workforce Equity
To address the identified gaps, the report suggests several strategies. These include implementing structured career pathways for women, conducting regular pay equity audits, and ensuring transparent compensation frameworks. Expanding skills-based hiring initiatives, particularly in high-growth areas like AI, cybersecurity, and data science, can also help increase female participation.
Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach to achieving gender parity: “While we celebrate the growing presence of women in tech contractual roles, we must recognise that achieving true gender parity requires sustained efforts and a multi-faceted approach that transcends hiring more women,” Sharma stated.
She further emphasized, “The lack of representation in leadership positions and the persistent gender pay gap indicate the need for long-term structural change. Companies must work towards creating environments where women can not only enter but also grow and lead in their careers.”
