Beyond Low Number: Indian Construction Sector Home to Inspiring Women Leaders

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Friday, 31 May 2024

Construction is one of the key industries for the Indian industry. Standing only second to agriculture, the Indian construction sector was touted to be worth $639 billion in 2022.

The Indian construction industry is also a mega employer, providing job opportunities to both skilled and unskilled individuals. The industry employed nearly 35 million people in 2022 and saw employment rise from 11.6 percent in 2019-20 to 12.4% in 2021-22.

One might expect such a mega employer to be home to a high representation of women in all spheres, but the truth is far from that. Although women account for almost 65 percent of the laborers working on-ground, yet women are hugely underrepresented in other technical and leadership roles.

The industry has technical roles such as civil engineers, architects, structural engineers, electrical engineers, maintenance and supervisorial staff. Women form only 1.4 percent of this total workforce. Only 2 percent of these women ever reach the top leadership roles.

As disheartening as the numbers might be, it is still important to shine the spotlight on the women leaders who are defying all odds and carving a niche for themselves in the male dominated construction and infrastructure industry in India.

The current edition of Women Entrepreneur India magazine celebrates such women leaders and brings to our readers their inspiration professional journey. In this magazine edition read about Rema Menon, Vice President of Parsvnath Developers. Eith experience of over 35 years in real estate, she has excelled in sales, marketing, and leasing, pioneering joint ventures and innovative retail concepts. She is a trailblazer in a male-dominated industry, she champions integrity, hard work, and team motivation.

We also bring to you the professional success story of Kavita Shirvaikar, Whole Time Director & CFO, Patel Engineering. Kavita is a distinguished finance leader with a rich professional journey spanning over 25 years. Graduating from R. A. Poddar College of Commerce in 1994, she earned qualifications in CA and ICWA in 1997. Kavita's illustrious career includes notable tenures at Hindustan Construction Company and Suzlon Energy, where she honed her expertise in financial management, fundraising, and debt restructuring.

In this magazine edition also read about Namrata Rao, Founder, STUDIOAVY. An accomplished entrepreneur and multifaceted leader with over two decades of extensive experience across various sectors, such as Marketing, Advertising, Construction, and Interior design, Namrata started her career as a marketing professional and has worked across organizations in various senior positions as a Brand Manager, Marketing Manager, Product Manager, and Business Unit Head before venturing into her passion domain, Design & Architecture through her Bengaluru-based Interior Design & Construction firm STUDIOAVY.

These women leaders are the harbingers of equality and diversity in the Indian construction and infrastructure space.

Read on do let us know your thoughts.