DEI works when it evolves organically
This article is authored by Nupur Garg, founder, Winpe.
It’s never been just about doing the right thing. Wherever diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has done well, it’s happened organically, based on business needs rather than as part of a specific DEI exercise. Let’s take Unilever as a case in point. Widely respected for the progress they have made towards achieving parity, their approach to inclusion has been tied to business performance. The company publicly links diversity to growth, innovation, and customer insight. In 2019, they reported that 50% of their managerial roles globally were held by women. Their business case has been clear: Diverse teams perform better.
In sectors like IT, education, and law, where high female participation is the norm, it didn’t happen because of diversity hiring slogans or campaigns. It happened because gender inclusivity is structurally embedded into these spaces.
As per NASSCOM, India’s IT sector employs over 20 lakh women—roughly 36% of the industry’s workforce. Behind this strong female representation is an actual business need—talent. As the industry scaled rapidly and looked to expand its workforce to meet business needs, it was a natural step to tap into the large pool of women graduating with STEM degrees. Simple demand and supply of talent.
It’s a similar story in education. UDISE+ data shows women account for 53.3% of the teaching workforce across schools in India. This was seeded by the unique nature of the profession that allowed women to balance personal responsibilities with having a career, which many other professions still do not necessarily offer. It created a wonderful matching of the talent supply and demand. Let’s look at law where strong academic pipelines are driving female participation. Women hold roughly half of all entry-level positions at corporate law firms. Representation dips at the partner level but still ranges between 22 and 27% at top firms.
Consider nursing, a profession traditionally dominated by women. The strong female participation here probably stems from the patriarchal notion of caregiving being ‘women’s work’. But that notion in itself facilitated the availability of a talent pool which the health care industry has tapped into.
We can also put a geographical lens on this. Why don’t we have large corporate offices, tech businesses, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) startups in rural areas yet? Because talent has fled these areas in search of better education and work opportunities. It comes down to talent—or rather the lack of it. Tier 1 cities and large metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad are thriving—or, in fact, are overburdened—because they offer the desired mix of talent and market infrastructure for companies. Innovation flourishes at university campuses because of the wonderful amalgamation of intellect and research that is available. These are virtuous cycles where availability of talent leads to greater economic investment, and which, in turn, serve to attract more talent.
DEI advances when inclusion is borne out of a clear recognition of business need, mostly as a natural outcome or extension of the same. When hiring pipelines become diverse to fulfil this business need, inclusion starts to become self-sustaining. It gets integrated into evaluation systems, leadership programmes, and pay audits. Talent management and retention needs drive inclusive policies and a culture that seeks to reward performance in an unbiased manner.
DEI also works better when it is expected by regulators, investors, or industry standards, not just individual goodwill. Globally, regulatory clarity has helped entire sectors improve representation. Norway is a classic example. After its mandate for female board representation, the percentage of women on boards rose from just four per cent in 2002 to 40% by 2009.
In India, women’s board representation has increased as well—from just 13.8% in 2018 to 18.3% in 2023. While the shift is gradual, it’s a direct outcome of regulatory mandates introduced over a decade ago by The Companies Act, 2013, and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to bridge the gender gap on company boards.
Indian banking and financial service institutions (BFSIs) have been seeing better outcomes as well. BFSIs recorded a spike of over 30% year-on-year in diverse hiring last June, according to the found it Insights Tracker. What’s driving it? A mix of technology, flexible work models, and DEI initiatives like anti-bias training and targeted recruitment. These are helped along by investor nudges, SEBI-mandated disclosures, and BFSI-wide knowledge sharing on diversity metrics.
In a capitalist economy, paying lip service to DEI is not enough. Companies need real and diverse talent pipelines to scale and grow. Business heads, investment committees, hiring managers, and boards need to see inclusion as part of performance, not just principle.
Industry forums, peer-learning platforms, and collective data benchmarks are helping create this alignment. Groups like NASSCOM in IT and regional forums in BFSIs have helped companies understand where they stand and what needs to change.
One of the hardest sectors to move on to inclusion has been private equity and venture capital (PEVC). Like many sectors, PEVC started out as an all-boys club, and even today, the gender balance skews heavily male. Many structural disadvantages remain with the sector being perceived as unfriendly for women. However, female participation is on the rise.
The challenge here is not intent. It is design. PEVC firms often operate through tight networks, closed hiring loops, and informal mentorships. This structure is not built for inclusion.
The upside is that investment firms are agile. If just a few large players come together to build shared hiring pools, common evaluation rubrics, and transparent promotion criteria, they can move the needle fast. Collaboration, not competition, is the unlock.
We don’t need another DEI workshop. We need to recognise that diversity in the workplace makes solid business sense. The places where DEI works never called it that. And maybe that’s the point.
This article is authored by Nupur Garg, founder, Winpe.
It’s never been just about doing the right thing. Wherever diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has done well, it’s happened organically, based on business needs rather than as part of a specific DEI exercise. Let’s take Unilever as a case in point. Widely respected for the progress they have made towards achieving parity, their approach to inclusion has been tied to business performance. The company publicly links diversity to growth, innovation, and customer insight. In 2019, they reported that 50% of their managerial roles globally were held by women. Their business case has been clear: Diverse teams perform better.
In sectors like IT, education, and law, where high female participation is the norm, it didn’t happen because of diversity hiring slogans or campaigns. It happened because gender inclusivity is structurally embedded into these spaces.
As per NASSCOM, India’s IT sector employs over 20 lakh women—roughly 36% of the industry’s workforce. Behind this strong female representation is an actual business need—talent. As the industry scaled rapidly and looked to expand its workforce to meet business needs, it was a natural step to tap into the large pool of women graduating with STEM degrees. Simple demand and supply of talent.
It’s a similar story in education. UDISE+ data shows women account for 53.3% of the teaching workforce across schools in India. This was seeded by the unique nature of the profession that allowed women to balance personal responsibilities with having a career, which many other professions still do not necessarily offer. It created a wonderful matching of the talent supply and demand. Let’s look at law where strong academic pipelines are driving female participation. Women hold roughly half of all entry-level positions at corporate law firms. Representation dips at the partner level but still ranges between 22 and 27% at top firms.
Consider nursing, a profession traditionally dominated by women. The strong female participation here probably stems from the patriarchal notion of caregiving being ‘women’s work’. But that notion in itself facilitated the availability of a talent pool which the health care industry has tapped into.
{{/usCountry}}Consider nursing, a profession traditionally dominated by women. The strong female participation here probably stems from the patriarchal notion of caregiving being ‘women’s work’. But that notion in itself facilitated the availability of a talent pool which the health care industry has tapped into.
{{/usCountry}}We can also put a geographical lens on this. Why don’t we have large corporate offices, tech businesses, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) startups in rural areas yet? Because talent has fled these areas in search of better education and work opportunities. It comes down to talent—or rather the lack of it. Tier 1 cities and large metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad are thriving—or, in fact, are overburdened—because they offer the desired mix of talent and market infrastructure for companies. Innovation flourishes at university campuses because of the wonderful amalgamation of intellect and research that is available. These are virtuous cycles where availability of talent leads to greater economic investment, and which, in turn, serve to attract more talent.
{{/usCountry}}We can also put a geographical lens on this. Why don’t we have large corporate offices, tech businesses, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) startups in rural areas yet? Because talent has fled these areas in search of better education and work opportunities. It comes down to talent—or rather the lack of it. Tier 1 cities and large metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad are thriving—or, in fact, are overburdened—because they offer the desired mix of talent and market infrastructure for companies. Innovation flourishes at university campuses because of the wonderful amalgamation of intellect and research that is available. These are virtuous cycles where availability of talent leads to greater economic investment, and which, in turn, serve to attract more talent.
{{/usCountry}}DEI advances when inclusion is borne out of a clear recognition of business need, mostly as a natural outcome or extension of the same. When hiring pipelines become diverse to fulfil this business need, inclusion starts to become self-sustaining. It gets integrated into evaluation systems, leadership programmes, and pay audits. Talent management and retention needs drive inclusive policies and a culture that seeks to reward performance in an unbiased manner.
DEI also works better when it is expected by regulators, investors, or industry standards, not just individual goodwill. Globally, regulatory clarity has helped entire sectors improve representation. Norway is a classic example. After its mandate for female board representation, the percentage of women on boards rose from just four per cent in 2002 to 40% by 2009.
In India, women’s board representation has increased as well—from just 13.8% in 2018 to 18.3% in 2023. While the shift is gradual, it’s a direct outcome of regulatory mandates introduced over a decade ago by The Companies Act, 2013, and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to bridge the gender gap on company boards.
Indian banking and financial service institutions (BFSIs) have been seeing better outcomes as well. BFSIs recorded a spike of over 30% year-on-year in diverse hiring last June, according to the found it Insights Tracker. What’s driving it? A mix of technology, flexible work models, and DEI initiatives like anti-bias training and targeted recruitment. These are helped along by investor nudges, SEBI-mandated disclosures, and BFSI-wide knowledge sharing on diversity metrics.
In a capitalist economy, paying lip service to DEI is not enough. Companies need real and diverse talent pipelines to scale and grow. Business heads, investment committees, hiring managers, and boards need to see inclusion as part of performance, not just principle.
Industry forums, peer-learning platforms, and collective data benchmarks are helping create this alignment. Groups like NASSCOM in IT and regional forums in BFSIs have helped companies understand where they stand and what needs to change.
One of the hardest sectors to move on to inclusion has been private equity and venture capital (PEVC). Like many sectors, PEVC started out as an all-boys club, and even today, the gender balance skews heavily male. Many structural disadvantages remain with the sector being perceived as unfriendly for women. However, female participation is on the rise.
The challenge here is not intent. It is design. PEVC firms often operate through tight networks, closed hiring loops, and informal mentorships. This structure is not built for inclusion.
The upside is that investment firms are agile. If just a few large players come together to build shared hiring pools, common evaluation rubrics, and transparent promotion criteria, they can move the needle fast. Collaboration, not competition, is the unlock.
We don’t need another DEI workshop. We need to recognise that diversity in the workplace makes solid business sense. The places where DEI works never called it that. And maybe that’s the point.
This article is authored by Nupur Garg, founder, Winpe.
One Subscription.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Archives
HT App & Website
