Indian women face most workplace bias

Working women in India have been impacted more by the covid-19 pandemic than their global counterparts and battle the strongest gender bias across the Asia Pacific countries, fighting for both equal pay and opportunity, according to the LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021.

The report focuses on the way women perceive opportunities and how the gender gap is further slowing down career progress for working women in India amid the pandemic.

On reasons for being unhappy with opportunities to advance in their careers, 22% working women in India said their companies exhibit a favourable bias towards men at work, compared to the regional average of 16%. In India, 85% of working women claim to have missed out on a raise, promotion, or work offer because of their gender, compared to the regional average of 60%.

The report also highlights the difference in perception of available opportunities in the market for men and women. As much as 37% of India’s working women say they get fewer opportunities than men, while only 25% men agree. This disparity in perception is also seen in conversations on equal pay, as more women (37%) say they get less pay than men, while only 21% men share this sentiment.

Consumer sentiment from the report shows that more than seven in 10 working women (71%) and working mothers (77%) feel managing family responsibilities comes in the way of career development.

About two-thirds of working women (63%) and working mothers (69%) say they faced discrimination at work due familial and household responsibilities.

“It is the need of the hour for organizations to reimagine their diversity practices and offer greater flexibility to caregivers, to increase female participation in the workforce. Reduced and flexible schedules, more sabbaticals, and new opportunities to upskill and learn are critical offerings that can help organizations attract, hire, and retain more female talent,” said Ruchee Anand, director, talent and learning solutions, India, LinkedIn.

Job security is critical for working women in India, but they are laying more emphasis on the type of employer they choose to work with, the recognition they will receive for the work they do, and skill-sets required on the job.

Women are actively seeking employers who treat them as equal (50%), while 56% are looking to get recognition at work for what they do, according to LinkedIn’s findings.