Women Underrepresented in India's Deeptech Sector

By: WER Team | Thursday, 23 April 2026

• Women’s entry-level hiring in deeptech remains very low
• Women face slower career growth due to structural barriers
• Pay gaps and lower salary negotiation persist

Deeptech is under-represented by women in India, according to a new study. The most recent Hiring Tracker by Indeed indicates that there continues to be limited representation of women in the early stages of their careers.

Of the almost 50 employers who were surveyed, 43 percent stated that women account for only 0-10 percent of their entry level deeptech hires. Additionally, no company surveyed had more than 50 percent female participants at any level of seniority.

The report covers several key areas that may affect how the workforce operates in these specialised industries including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, cybersecurity and data science, which will have an impact on hiring trends, salary perceptions and how long it takes employees to progress within the company.

Sashi Kumar, managing director, Indeed India, said, “While STEM education is a prerequisite, differences in assessment processes and practical workplace constraints can influence how opportunities are accessed. Identifying these structural challenges is an essential step for organisations looking to effectively attract and retain skilled talent in high-demand areas like AI and robotics.”

The percentage of women actively looking for new jobs is similar, as 43 percent of women applied for new jobs in Q4, up slightly from 42 percent in Q3. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that there is an absence of activity by women in their pursuit of a career; the issue is rather related to the structural constraints placed on women entering the workplace.

Employers reported a divergence in how men and women progress through their organisation. Almost 38 percent of organisations reported that women take longer to reach a mid-level position compared to men.

According to the survey, 32 percent of women believe that men earn more than them for performing the same job as they perform. Men's perceptions were similar to women's perceptions as 31 percent of men thought women earn more than they do for performing the same job as they do. While 67 percent of employers reported they do not have a gender pay gap at the senior levels of their organisation, 27 percent of employees perceive that the gender pay gap widens with seniority.

While the survey does detail some of the differences between male and female candidates' responses to job offers, males were more likely to negotiate salary, which will impact salary over the long term. In contrast, females were more open to considering accepting job offers with lower incremental increases, with 23 percent of females willing to consider accepting a position that offered a 10 percent salary increase or less.

“In a high-skill sector like deeptech, our latest survey finds a gap between credentials and compensation; only 42 per cent of women candidates felt their latest job offer was a complete reflection of their specialised skill sets,” Sashi Kumar added.