Women in Leadership: Closing the Gender Gap in the Corporate World
Despite strides made by women in India’s corporate world, a significant gender gap in leadership persists. While women’s participation in the workforce has risen from 23.9% in 2016 to 26.8% in 2024, the real challenge lies in their ascent to senior leadership roles. The numbers paint a stark picture: women hold only 18.3% of senior positions, with just 15.3% in C-suite roles. This gap underscores the difficulties women face breaking through the “glass ceiling” a problem that continues to undermine gender parity at the top.
The Leadership Divide
At the entry level, women are fairly well-represented, making up 29.53% of employees, but as they climb the corporate ladder, their numbers dwindle dramatically. The LinkedIn and Quantum Hub report, Women in Leadership in Corporate India, highlights that at managerial levels, women’s representation falls to just 18.59%. These statistics reveal that while women are entering the workforce in growing numbers, their progression into leadership is hindered by systemic barriers.
As Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, once remarked, “Leadership is hard to define, and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.” Yet for women in corporate India, getting to that point remains…
