An International Labour Organization report released on November 3 shows women hold under 12 per cent of managerial posts in India, ahead of only Pakistan and Bangladesh in the region.

BulletsIn

• The International Labour Organization released a report titled "Women in business and management: Scaling success" on November 3, 2026.
• Women hold fewer than 12 per cent of managerial positions in India, placing the country 32nd among 34 Asia-Pacific economies, ahead of only Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• The figures are based on 2024 data and cover both overall management and senior and middle management, showing under-representation across the hierarchy.
• Women employees in India earn about 28 per cent less per hour than men, the fourth-widest gender wage gap among the 23 Asia-Pacific economies covered.
• Among managers in India, the gender pay gap is close to zero.
• Globally, women earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by men, and across Asia-Pacific they account for about one in five managers against a global share of 30.5 per cent.
• The report says most of the pay gap cannot be explained by education or working hours and reflects occupational segregation, undervaluation of women's work and care responsibilities.
• In India, 23.1 per cent of female tertiary graduates studied STEM subjects, compared with 31.4 per cent of male graduates.
• The report draws on an ILO survey of 11,957 enterprises across 99 countries, of which 68.5 per cent said gender-equality initiatives improved business outcomes.
• The share of enterprises implementing gender-equality initiatives fell from 37.4 per cent in 2018 to 26.5 per cent in 2025.
• Women remain concentrated in human resources and finance and administration roles but hold just 19.8 per cent of profit-and-loss roles, which often lead to top leadership.