Mumbai: Great Place To Work® India today released “The Missing Middle: Redesigning how women build and sustain career momentum”, a research-based report on the workplace culture, career lifecycle, and systemic shifts shaping women’s careers in India. The study represents 22+ lakh employee voices across 20+ industries.
The report finds that women make up 1 in 4 employees of the Indian workforce, yet talent leakage occurs through every level, with only 16% holding the executive seats. It brings to light the mid-career squeeze that occurs when life stages coincide with career stages and where caregiving peaks and flexibility needs rise.
Speaking on the findings, Balbir Singh, CEO, Great Place To Work® India, said: “Women continue to be a critical part of India’s workforce, accounting for nearly a quarter of the workforce. Our research finds that women represent 28% of individual contributor roles, but the representation drops drastically to just 17% at the middle managerial level, highlighting the need for stronger career continuity, sponsorship, and support systems. The opportunity before leaders today is to provide longevity to women’s careers, enabling women through key career and life-stage transitions. To leverage their potential, organizations must redesign career paths, workplace practices, and leadership behaviours to sustain career momentum, especially when career and life demands intersect. Congratulations to India’s Best Workplaces for Women 2026 for setting the benchmark and creating environments where women can flourish, be leaders, and help shape the future.”
The report strongly puts forward the proposition: The “collision zone” is the point at which women’s career progression intersects with major life-stage responsibilities such as caregiving and parenting. The collision zone is not women’s problem to solve. It’s a design problem for organisations. The Best Workplaces solve it before they’re asked.”
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