McKinsey Report Reveals Stark Gender Gap in India Inc's C-Suite & Entry-Level Hiring

By: WE staff | Friday, 16 May 2025

• 17 percent of C-suite positions in Indian businesses are held by women, highlighting a huge gender disparity in leadership
• Only 20 percent of seats on India Inc.'s boards are held by women
• Lack of hiring women at the entry point in the private sector is a huge issue

A new McKinsey report, 'Women in the Workplace', specifically India-focused, was startling in its findings. A dramatic gap in corporate leadership exists along gender lines. Women hold only 17 percent of C-suite jobs and 20 percent of board positions in India Inc., pointing to a substantial gap in top-level positions. More disturbing, however, is the restricted intake of women at entry levels in the private sector.

Even though women make up almost half of total university admissions, they hold only one-third of entry-level positions and only 24 percent of managerial posts, a study of 77 Indian firms found. Vivek Pandit, senior partner at McKinsey & Company, informed ‘TOI’, "India's women's participation in entry-level jobs is healthier than generally believed—33 percent, against 48 percent in North America." And while North America almost doubled its number of women in the C-suite over the last decade, India can do so too. But that takes intentional effort.

The report also finds that there are a significant seven-year average age difference at the starting level—women start formal careers at age 39, versus men at age 32—the largest across India, Kenya, and Nigeria. This implies women enter the job market later or experience early career plateauing. Entry-level men are over two times more likely to be promoted into managerial positions than women, and women are 1.3 times more likely to leave the job market at this level. Past the manager level, however, attrition rates get better, with senior-level women VPs less likely to leave their positions than men.