No level playing field for women in tech top floor: report

About 62% of women professionals said that female representation in their organizations’ top leadership tier is insignificant.

Further, the gender gap is more evident in the Technology sector, where 71% women said they do not have enough women leaders, as against 53% non-tech respondents.


These are findings from an annual survey by The Star in Me, a global career advancement platform for women and a diversity partner for several organisations.

Top 4 reasons for gender imbalance in leadership

• 32% - Lack of focus on building women leaders
• 21% - Gender bias and limited workplace support
• 18% - Women not advocating for themselves
• 17% - Lack of prioritisation on diversity in leadership

The report is based on findings from over 400 respondents. 62% of the respondents said they do not have equal opportunities for career growth as the men in their organizations while 68% said they were happy with the flexible work arrangements.

Also read | White-collar gigs help women keep working in the layoffs season

Bias at workplace

• 59% - Women have encountered bias at workplace
• 60% - Women in tech
• 57% - Women in non-tech

Types of bias faced at the workplace

• Prove it again - 26%
• The tightrope - 24%
• Maternal wall - 22%
• Tug of war - 20%
• Others - 8%

68% of the respondents said they were happy with the flexible work arrangements in their organizations.

Mahua Mukherjee, cofounder, The Star In Me, said, “While organisations do their part in building diverse leadership teams and inclusive cultures, it is important for women to take charge of their careers and steer them towards their professional goals. Women should never hesitate to speak up and ask for what they need.”

Meanwhile, white-collar gigs have emerged as a leading catalyst for women to stay in jobs. Post the recent layoffs in the technology sector, women professionals in tech roles are taking to freelancing to build their careers.

In nine months from April 2022 to Dec 2022, there was a 3X increase in the number of women consultants registering for white-collar gig roles from the technology sector, according to data and research from the white-collar gig platform FlexingIt. For the same duration, the overall number of women consultants stayed stable.