Gender Equality Remains Elusive as Women Stay Trapped in Lower-Paid Roles
Women working in blue-collar jobs across India continue to encounter systemic barriers that severely limit their career advancement, keeping their employment predominantly confined to lower-skilled, lower-paid, and less stable roles, a new report by the hiring platform WorkIndia revealed on Friday.
The report highlights a worrying trend where women are increasingly directed towards gender-specific jobs such as telecalling and maid services, while opportunities in fields like field sales, marketing, and back-office positions are on the decline.
Job Opportunities for Women Declining Sharply in 2024
While job postings for women had shown a modest rise of 0.4% in 2023, there was a concerning drop of 5.3% in 2024. The report emphasized that this decline points to deeper systemic issues rather than merely statistical fluctuations.
“This reduction hints at more than just a statistical anomaly—it underscores a deeper issue in gender equality, particularly in blue-collar jobs. Women's participation in the workforce remains predominantly in lower-skilled, lower-paid, and less stable roles,” stated the WorkIndia report.
The findings of this report are based on an extensive analysis of over 11.46 lakh job postings and applications collected by the WorkIndia platform from 2022 to 2024.
Sector-Specific Trends: Growth in Telecalling and Maid Jobs
Despite the overall reduction in opportunities, the report identified specific job categories where women's employment showed notable growth. Telecalling jobs, in particular, witnessed a substantial increase of 10.3% in 2023, followed by a consistent growth rate of 8% in 2024.
Maid services recorded the most dramatic surge, with postings for women increasing by nearly 100% (99.8%) from 2023 to 2024, highlighting how certain gendered roles remain significantly open to female applicants.
Sharp Decline in Back-Office and Office Support Roles
Conversely, women saw steep declines in traditionally gender-neutral job roles. Back-office job postings for women plunged by 30% between 2023 and 2024, while postings for office peon roles dropped even more dramatically by 64.1%.
WorkIndia Committed to Empowering Women Workers
Commenting on the report's findings, WorkIndia’s Co-Founder and CEO, Nilesh Dungarwal, acknowledged the persistent challenges faced by women in blue-collar sectors.
“Despite incremental progress, our data underscores the harsh reality that women in blue-collar jobs continue to face systemic hurdles that limit their career growth. In the battleground for gender equality, WorkIndia is actively empowering individuals by providing a platform where they can attain meaningful livelihoods, regardless of gender,” said Dungarwal.