Not just in legislature, rare to see women in corner offices of PSUs too

Business News›Careers›C-Suite›Not just in legislature, rare to see women in corner offices of PSUs too Not just in legislature, rare to see women in corner offices of PSUs too Not just in legislature, rare to see women in corner offices of PSUs too New Delhi: Even as the political blame game over the delay in implementing the one-third quota for women in the legislature continues, experts and policymakers rue another glass ceiling that remains unbroken -- the abysmally low proportion of women employees in government-run enterprises.

The latest available government data shows that women constitute less than 10 per cent of the workforce in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs), and not even one in 10 manage to reach a supervisory role. While still a far cry from adequate representation, in the private sector, nearly one-fourth of women hold managerial positions.

Their proportion goes up to about one-third when it comes to entry-level roles, as per various surveys. Overall, the female LFPR (Labour Force Participation Rate) in the country stands at little over 34 per cent, though it has fallen from 40 per cent at the end of financial year 2024-25, according to the government data.

The latest Public Enterprises Survey showed that women constituted 9.8 per cent of total employees in CPSEs at the end of FY 2024-25. The number decreased to 76,685 in FY2024-25 from 77,625 in FY2023-24. This number has remained below 10 per cent for several years.

The survey, released by the government, further said that 32.4 per cent of total women in CPSEs were present at managerial/executive level, while only 8.7 per cent were at supervisory level and 58.9 per cent in worker categories.

The women's representation at the supervisory level has fallen to 9 per cent in 2023-24 from 10.08 per cent in 2022-23. YSR Congress Party MP Dr Gumma Thanuja Rani said the low representation of women in government-owned enterprises was a matter of concern, particularly when there is a continuing political debate over women's representation in Parliament and state legislatures.

"Women in this country have waited far too long for a fair chance -- for a seat in Parliament and a voice in the workplace," she told PTI. The government and the opposition are blaming each other for the delay in implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Women's representation in Lok Sabha has increased from 5 per cent in the first Lok Sabha to 15 per cent in the current Lok Sabha. Besides, no state assembly has 20 per cent women representation, with some, such as in Himachal Pradesh, having as low as a single legislator.

"The real shock is in our own public sector where women are less than 10 per cent, and the number hasn't moved in over 10 years. And in supervisory roles, it's even worse," the YSR Congress MP said. She said many public enterprises operate in male-dominated sectors such as mining and manufacturing, where rigid shifts, lack of flexible workplace policies and mandatory remote postings without safe housing or schools force women out mid-career.

She suggested setting clear, time-bound targets for women's hiring in every PSU and providing facilities such as creches, hostels, safe transport and flexible postings especially in mining and industrial PSUs. "Make selection and promotion boards gender-balanced and transparent," she said, also calling for mandated paid "career re-entry" programmes and offering tax incentives to employers that provide flexible hours and childcare support for women returning after career breaks.