India Inc will need 195 years to close gender gap: Report

65% of women expect serious repercussions if they push for gender parity

It would take over 195 years to close the gender gap in Indian organisations as women are not properly represented in the labour force, said a report. It added that women in Asia believe they have equality in pay and opportunity, even though data suggests otherwise.

What is worrying is that women’s economic participation is just 22.3% in the Indian corporate world and the pay gap ratio is 19%.

It reveals that 65% of women expect serious repercussions for their professional progression if they push for gender parity in their workplace, observes the report by NINEby9, a multi-year initiative focused on driving gender equality within organisations across Asia.

“Schools are a major concern as dropout rates are high and other socio-economic issues play a major role in the exclusion of women from the mainstream”, said Christine Fellowes, Co-Founder of NINEby9, speaking to DH.

A Mckinsey report suggests that roughly $4 trillion can be added to the economy by 2025 if parity can be achieved in workplaces.

However, Christine sounded optimistic about the role of government in Bengaluru’s economic rise, saying that “The tech industry here has seen some incredible programmes making sure that young girls are educated in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)”.

Christine is also the Managing Director of NBC Universal International Networks for the APAC region.

The report said that the Asian century is just beginning and it is time to kick-start the gender parity reset in Asia.

“While women are still behind the curve in terms of gender parity, they have incredibly strong aspirations to grow in their career. With the right support from their managers, organisations and peers, we know that they can realise their full potential while driving gender parity for working women in Asia”, said April Swando Hu, Co-Founder, NINEby9.