India's tech sector sees more women, yet leadership gaps persist

TeamLease Digital's latest report highlights GCCs leading gender diversity efforts, with female representation rising from 31.4% in 2020 to 38.3% in 2024, driven by DEI policies and global strategies

India’s tech contractual workforce has witnessed a notable improvement over the past four years, with female participation rising from 9.51 per cent in 2020 to 27.98 per cent in 2024, according to a report by TeamLease Digital.

 

The report, titled 'Gender Parity - Shaping Workforce Equity,' is based on a quantitative analysis of a proprietary dataset comprising 13,000 associates from TeamLease Digital’s tech contractual workforce between 2020 and 2024.

 

The study underscores the impact of increased remote work opportunities, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and digital infrastructure growth in enabling more women to enter contractual tech roles.

   

GCCs lead gender inclusion

 

Among various sectors, global capability centres (GCCs) have made the most strides in improving gender diversity. Female representation in GCCs rose from 31.4 per cent in 2020 to 38.3 per cent in 2024, driven by structured DEI policies and global workforce strategies.

 

Despite these improvements, women’s representation in senior leadership remains low, increasing only marginally from 11.43 per cent in 2020 to 13.60 per cent in 2024.  

 

The gender pay gap in GCCs remains a concern, standing at 16.10 per cent, with a more pronounced disparity at senior levels (16.4 per cent). Notably, in high-demand tech roles, the gap reaches 22.2 per cent, while in non-tech roles, it is significantly lower at 0.8 per cent.

 

The report highlights the need for greater representation of women in specialised tech roles to reduce these pay disparities.  

 

IT services: Rising inclusion, limited career progression

 

The IT services sector has also seen an increase in female workforce participation, growing from 7.8 per cent in 2020 to 21.2 per cent in 2024. This improvement reflects ongoing efforts to implement inclusive hiring policies. However, career progression for women remains slow, with mid-level representation increasing only from 4.13 per cent to 8.93 per cent over the same period.

 

Senior leadership roles have also seen fluctuations. Women held just 4.36 per cent of leadership positions in 2021, which rose to 7.39 in 2023 before dropping slightly to 6.91 per cent in 2024. The gender pay gap in IT services further compounds this issue. While the overall gap is 3.55 per cent, it widens to 6.12 per cent at mid-level and 8.34 per cent at senior levels. In non-tech roles within the IT services sector, the pay gap is a notable 18.3 per cent.

 

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 has seen improvements in gender inclusion, non-tech sectors — including automotive, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), energy, healthcare, and manufacturing — remain predominantly male-dominated.

 

Female participation in tech roles within these industries increased from 1.9 per cent in 2020 to 14 per cent in 2024, yet leadership representation remains limited. By 2024, women accounted for only 4 per cent of entry-level roles and 5.14 per cent of mid-level positions.

 

Pay disparities are also more pronounced in non-tech sectors. The gender pay gap is 6 per cent at entry levels, rising to 19 per cent at mid-level positions, before slightly narrowing to 13 per cent at senior levels. Women’s overall representation in tech roles within these industries remains low at just 7.17 per cent. In these sectors, the pay gap for tech roles is 18 per cent, compared to 15 per cent for non-tech roles.  

 

Addressing workforce equity

 

To bridge these gaps, companies must implement structured career pathways for women, conduct regular pay equity audits, and ensure transparent compensation frameworks. Expanding skills-based hiring initiatives, particularly in high-growth areas such as AI, cybersecurity, and data science, can also help increase female participation.  

 

Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, emphasised 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 said.

 

She further said, "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."