The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) has seen a 6.6 per cent increase in women recruits from 2014 to 2022, with 37.8 per cent of the cadre now compromising women. However, only eight Indian diplomatic missions are led by women, and only one of seven secretary-level postings in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is occupied by a woman.
According to the data released by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), 31.2 per cent of the IFS cadre consisted of women that is 10 out of 32 in 2014. In contrast, from 2018 to 2020, the percentage of women recruits in the foreign service exceeded 40 per cent. The eight missions led by women are not high-profile world capitals that include, Armenia, Cambodia, Cyprus, Italy, Mauritius, Malta, New Zealand, Netherlands, Poland, and Serbia. Advocacy for gender equality and continued efforts to empower women in diplomacy are crucial for achieving greater representation and leadership.
The IFS has seen a surge in women recruits, with the highest number of women in 2015 with 45 candidates, despite a typical 30-35. However, selectivity for the IFS is high, with only 30 or so positions offered in top services out of nearly half a million applicants for the annual UPSC exam. Political scientist Kanti Bajpai suggests tripling the number of women added to the IFS to improve gender parity, despite criticism of its selective recruitment policy since 2014. She added, "The strength of India's foreign service is only about 800 for a country of 1.4 billion, whereas China has over 5,000 officers. If at least 100 candidates are picked for the IFS instead of 30, this may encourage more women to apply for the civil services in general, and help the foreign service inch closer to 50/50 gender parity."
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