Best Practices for Gender Parity in India's Startups

As the first woman to oversee a Big Four business, Janet Truncale will create history next year when she becomes chair and CEO of EY.

Her career, which took an astounding 33 years to complete, took her from intern to the highest position in the firm's leadership, demonstrating her tenacity and commitment.

But there were difficulties with this climb as well. Women at different levels of the corporate hierarchy worldwide and in India have expressed a similar attitude to Janet, who frequently found herself the only woman in rooms dominated by males early in her career.

There is some promise in the startup scene, even if women only represent 19% of corporate roles. 35% of Indian startup workers are women, according to ACT's Women in India's Startup Ecosystem study. It is possible to raise the percentage of women in startups to 50% by 2030 by implementing focused and prompt efforts.

The incentives driving women into the startup space are quite similar to those driving males, with a focus on innovation, fast learning, professional progression, and a fast-paced work environment. It's interesting to note that women say it's simpler for them to break past the "glass ceiling" at startups than it is in the corporate world.

Nevertheless, the statistics show that only 18% of Indian startups are led by women, with a mere 17% of billion-dollar startups having a woman co-founder. Furthermore, a gender gap becomes more pronounced in startups after the 10-year mark, where 8 out of 10 men occupy director-level positions or higher, in contrast to only 5 in 10 women.