More women in tech workforce, but yet to break glass ceiling

Bengaluru: Advanced digital infrastructure, remote work opportunities and inclusive initiatives have all helped bolster women participation in the country’s technology sector’s contractual workforce, according to a report by TeamLease Digital released on Wednesday. In 2024 women accounted for 27.98% of this headcount, as compared to 9.51 per cent in 2020. 

Of all the segments, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have made the most progress in improving gender diversity, with female workforce representation rising from 31.4 per cent in 2020 to 38.3 per cent in 2024.  However, despite improvements at the entry-level, representation in senior leadership positions for women remains low, growing only marginally from 11.43 per cent in 2020 to 13.60 per cent in 2024.

The overall gender pay gap in GCCs stands at 16.10 per cent, with a more pronounced gap of 16.4 per cent at senior levels. In high-demand tech roles, the gender pay gap reaches 22.2 per cent, while in non-tech roles, the gap is considerably lower at just 0.8 per cent.

While progress has been made in tech-driven industries, non-tech sectors such as automotive, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), energy, healthcare, and manufacturing continue to be overwhelmingly male-dominated with female participation in tech roles within these sectors growing from just 1.9 per cent in 2020 to 14 per cent in 2024 with vast underrepresentation in leadership roles. 

In the IT Services sector, female workforce participation increased from 7.8 per cent to 21.2 per cent in the same period, but it has not translated into a significant career progression, as women’s representation in mid-level roles rose from just 4.13 per cent to 8.93 per cent. These figures indicate that women face significant barriers to advancing beyond entry-level roles.