Archive · 23 Sep 2026
Women’s Representation Falls Sharply in India’s Middle Management
A new report looked at how women move through jobs in corporate India.
Women make up about one-third of workers starting their careers.
But their share becomes smaller when they reach manager positions.
Only 18% of mid-level managers are women.
At the highest executive levels, women’s share has risen to 21%, up from 13% in 2023.
The report says career growth often happens at the same time as marriage, childcare and caring for older relatives.
Women also said they receive fewer chances than men to develop new ideas and skills.
The report recommends flexible promotions, parental leave, childcare and support for people returning after career breaks.
It says companies need to support women throughout their careers, not only during maternity.
Women hold 32% of individual-contributor roles in corporate India, but only 18% of mid-management positions.
Women’s representation rises to 21% at the executive level, up from 13% in 2023.
The report identifies marriage, parenthood, childcare and eldercare as pressures overlapping with career-building years.
Forty-six percent of women reported meaningful opportunities to develop new and better ways of working, nine points below men.
Top-rated workplaces for women provide more benefits and are expanding women’s opportunities at twice the average rate.
- Who
- Women employees and managers in corporate India, as examined by Great Place To Work India.
- What
- The Women at Work 2026 report found that women’s representation drops sharply from entry-level roles to mid-management, despite gains at the executive level.
- When
- The findings were published in the Women at Work 2026 report; the comparison notes executive representation in 2023.
- Where
- Corporate India.
- Why
- Career progression overlaps with family and caregiving responsibilities, while women also report fewer development opportunities and insufficient workplace support.
- Report
- Women at Work 2026
- Research sample
- 4.05 lakh employee voices across 375 organisations
- Women at entry level
- 32% of individual-contributor roles
- Women in management
- 20% of frontline managers and 18% of mid-management
- Women at executive level
- 21%, up from 13% in 2023
- Development opportunities
- 46% of women reported meaningful opportunities, nine percentage points below men
- Top workplaces
- 83% of women reported access to special or unique benefits; women filled four in every 10 new roles