Aon’s 2024 Voice of Women study, which surveyed 24,000 women employees across more than 560 companies has revealed that 75% of working mothers in India’s business landscape are facing significant challenges like pervasive “maternity penalty,” with a career setback of one to two years after returning from maternity leave. Nearly 40 % of these women experienced that going on maternity leave adversely affected their remuneration, and many found that their job profiles were altered to positions that they did not enjoy.
The survey also revealed that nearly 50% of the women surveyed mentioned experiencing bias or potential bias at work, while 37% revealed they had encountered insensitive behaviour and 6 %of women reported experiencing sexual harassment, with less than half of these cases being officially reported.
Study finds that women in senior management and leadership roles are twice as likely to face discrimination compared to those in entry-level positions. While 34 % of senior women reported bias, only 17 % were entry-level women. This causes senior-level women to leave their jobs within a year.
As far as the impact of female leadership in organisation is concerned, the study finds that 53% who had visible female leaders reported increased confidence in their career growth, and 52 % experienced a positive impact on their workplace culture. Additionally, the presence of female leaders was found to reduce the perception of unfairness in performance reviews, promotions, and compensation.
Shilpa Khanna, associate partner and DEI practice leader of Talent Solutions in India for Aon, said, “The data clearly highlights that the higher the positive experiences women have at the workplace, the greater the representation of women in the workforce.”
Nitin Sethi, CEO of Talent Solutions in India for Aon said, “Bias at work is impeding businesses’ efforts to engage and retain skilled and committed women in the workforce. It is a reality that cannot be brushed aside. Building inclusive work culture has to be a CEO-led priority”.
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