A recent study was conducted on the barriers and challenges that women in the corporate sector encounter by the Women in India Inc. HR Managers Survey, which was conducted by the Udaiti Foundation and the Center for Economic Data & Analysis. Around 200 Human Resource managers from a variety of industries, including FMCG, Pharma, Retail, IT/ITeS, and BFSI, participated in the survey.
The report suggests 34 per cent of women quit their jobs to maintain a work-life balance whereas just 4 per cent of men do so. This emphasizes the importance of eradicating the challenges that are related to work-life balance for Indian women. While 55 per cent of the companies seek women employee development, just 37 per cent of them actively address the gender biases when they recruit the employees.
According to the survey, 17.5 per cent of the firms provide childcare facilities whereas 37 per cent do not offer maternity leave facilities and 59 per cent do not have internal complaint committees. Women with career breaks are less considered while recruiting makes 24 per cent. As 73 per cent of the firms claim that they offer strategies for gender diversity goals, just 21 per cent do so.
87 per cent of the firms use mainly two inclusive hiring strategies including mixed-gender panels and gender-neutral job descriptions. While some provide mentorship programs and leadership development, 56 per cent of firms also provide flexibility in location, 73 per cent provide for work hours, and 67 per cent provide for workdays.
