Representation of women in Indian corporate boardrooms: An Analysis

Abstract

The lack of representation of women on corporate boards has long been a burning issue worldwide. Women are notably underrepresented in a variety of professions, including corporate leadership, the workforce, and politics. In order to bring attention to the fact that there is a gender gap in boardrooms both in India and throughout the world, this article attempts to highlight valid figures from various reports released both internationally and nationally. Numerous studies and reports have asserted that women directors from a variety of backgrounds and experiences have the propensity to view issues and potential solutions from a wider angle. As a result, diversity in boards has generally been regarded as a key factor in enhanced decision-making. The steps currently being taken to improve “diversity” in organizations only address the “representation” aspect of it. But if women are not truly represented, then the boardroom diversity is meaningless. Further, in the course of this study, it has been stated that the observance of progressive international standards is a possible solution to provide everyone with equal opportunities regardless of their gender. The present study aims to clarify the local and global issues affecting the underrepresentation of women in boardrooms. The situation in the Indian boardroom is given special consideration during this study. The objective of this research is to portray the current practices in India with regard to the inclusion of women in senior management roles because as per the statistics of various studies, women only hold a small fraction of corporate boardrooms in India. Additionally, the goal of the study is to investigate the reasons behind the gender imbalance in the boardroom and offer suggestions for promoting gender diversity therein.