Diversity in the technology industry workforce worldwide has been a topic of deliberation for a long while. Numerous reports suggest that the ratio of women opting for STEM courses in their academics and technology streams in the careers is not sufficient. There are societal influencers (STEM is too hard, marriage, childbirth, family responsibilities, etc.). There is an increasing trend among technology firms to have “only for women” jobs, but these efforts are hampered by the lack of women with necessary qualifications.
In order to thoroughly understand the profile of women in the Indian IT-BPM industry, NASSCOM has partnered with The Open University (UK) to come out with a “Women and IT Scorecard – India” that brings together, a comprehensive set of evidence to demonstrate and understand the differences in participation rates between women and men in the IT-BPM workforce in India. It also benchmarks these within an international context.
The majority of women are graduates with most of them holding a degree in Engineering and Technology.
IT companies in India face a significant problem of retention following maternity leave, and are concerned about the levels of women not returning to work.
Men and women start their careers in IT companies in India at similar ages but women progress more slowly, so men at senior positions are often younger than women at a similar level.
Women are concentrated at lower career levels and there are fewer women in top positions in IT companies in India.
A major limb of an inclusive and diverse workplace movement is the drive towards creating policies that encourage more women to enter and continue to be a part of the workforce. Over…
