Only 20% women in Indian firms reach higher roles by 50
A new study from Aon shows that women in Indian companies face a tough climb up the ladder—just 1 in 5 make it to higher roles within the same organization by age 50, compared to nearly half of men.
Women often have to switch jobs more frequently than men to move forward, highlighting how internal growth opportunities are limited for them.
Career breaks for childcare, caregiving
About 70% of women surveyed took career breaks for childcare and caregiving, which affected their progress—over a third said a break affected pay parity and many saw their careers slow down.
Men were much less likely to experience these setbacks.
Men still dominate top spots
While plenty of women hold supporting roles, men still dominate top spots like P&L and sales.
Only about two-thirds of women feel leadership opportunities are fair, compared to most men—a sign that many still see the system as stacked against them.
As Shilpa Khanna put it, systems are experienced as unfair, making some women think twice about aiming for stretch roles.