Women participation in tech roles in non-tech sectors to grow by 24.3% by 2027: Report

Women's participation in technology roles in non-tech businesses is expected to grow by nearly a quarter by 2027 across all levels, including freshers, junior, mid-senior, leadership, and C-Suite levels, a report said on Wednesday.

The tech women's participation rate in non-tech industries stood at 19.4 lakh workforce in 2023, which is expected to grow by 24.3 per cent to 24.1 lakh employees by 2027, TeamLease Digital's report - Women at the Heart of India's Digital Evolution, has revealed.

With only 0.5 per cent of the total women workforce engaged in tech roles in non-tech sectors, there is a pressing need to amplify female participation in this domain. Having said that, the tech sector is increasingly prioritising the employment of women and India's women's STEM participation stands at 43 per cent globally, which is the highest in the world," TeamLease Digital Chief Executive Officer Neeti Sharma said.

This would further grow this year (2025) on the basis of the sustained efforts of the government and women-centric programs enabling increased participation of women in tech, inclusive maternity and childcare support, she stated.

The TeamLease Digital - 'Women at the Heart of India's Digital Evolution', report is based on data obtained from its wide network and proprietary database, as well as several public sources from 2019 till 2023.

Further, mentioning city-specific statistics, the report found that the percentage of women joining the workforce from tier I cities (55 per cent) outnumbers the tier II cities.

Women hiring is projected to centre in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat in the coming months, with talent being hired in locations such as Chennai, Pune, Nasik, Coimbatore, Kochi, Aurangabad, and Vadodara, it stated. Currently, in the manufacturing segment, Tamil Nadu accounts for 43 per cent of the total employed women workforce, it noted.

It found that the fresher level had the highest concentration of women at 34 per cent, which gradually declines as the hierarchy rises, with 26 per cent in the junior level (3-5 years experience), 18 per cent in the mid-senior level (5-15 years), 11 per cent in leadership roles (15-20 years), and a mere 8 per cent in the C-suite or boardroom level.

The decline in women in leadership positions is mainly due to lack of opportunities, support for women with caregiving responsibilities, and fewer mentors and role models, the report said.

"While the overall annual growth of women employed in the tech sector is projected to be 5.5 per cent over the next 5 years, more concerted efforts are required from companies, policymakers and governmental initiatives to pave the way for a more equitable and encouraging future of women in India's digital journey, TeamLease Digital AVP of Strategy and Growth Munira Loliwala added.