Archive · 25 Nov 2025
Women’s Workforce Gains Stall at 18%
A group of leaders talked about how women's participation in the formal workforce in India has not improved in five years, staying at 18%.
They said that to make things better, we need to change policies, make workplaces safer, and change how people think about women working.
Some companies are trying to hire more women and make sure they stay by offering support and opportunities.
The leaders agreed that big changes are needed to help more women join and stay in the workforce.
Women's formal sector participation in India remains at 18%, unchanged for five years.
Leaders highlighted systemic barriers including outdated labor laws and cultural attitudes.
Urban Company has over 30,000 women partners and uses guidelines to counter unconscious bias.
OfBusiness co-founder Ruchi Kalra emphasized internal barriers and the importance of meritocracy.
Sutherland mandates women candidates in senior-level hiring pipelines and promotes inclusion.
- Who
- Corporate and entrepreneurial leaders, including Pooja Sharma Goyal, Neha Mathur, Ruchi Kalra, Harita Gupta, and Suman Hegde
- What
- A town hall discussing the stagnation of women's workforce participation in India
- When
- Tuesday (specific date not mentioned)
- Where
- CNBC-TV18’s ‘Future Female Forward’ Town Hall
- Why
- To address the systemic barriers and cultural attitudes hindering women's workforce participation
- Women's Workforce Participation
- 18%
- Urban Company Women Partners
- 30,000 out of 55,000
- Sutherland Hiring Policy
- Mandates women candidates in senior-level pipelines
- OfBusiness Co-founder
- Ruchi Kalra
- Jubilant FoodWorks CFO
- Suman Hegde
- The Udaiti Foundation CEO
- Pooja Sharma Goyal
