Corporate Ladder Uneven for Women as Structural Gaps Persist: Aon Report
The report reinforce that women are not opting out of leadership roles due to lack of interest or ambition. Instead, they are often excluded from the very opportunities that build leadership readiness—profit-and-loss responsibilities, sales exposure, and core business roles.
The glass ceiling in corporate India is not simply a matter of ambition or capability—it is a structural issue embedded within organisational systems. A new study by global professional services firm Aon, titled Gender and Leadership at India Inc, has revealed that women professionals are equally driven as their male counterparts but continue to face systemic barriers that hinder their rise to senior leadership positions.
Surveying 1,500 leaders across more than 30 cities—including over 400 women—the report provides a granular look at how men and women progress through leadership pipelines. Its findings challenge long-held assumptions about women’s career aspirations and instead spotlight the organisational frameworks that shape unequal outcomes.
Ambition Is Not the Issue
One of the most striking insights from the study is that men and women share similar levels of ambition. Both groups are motivated by purpose, professional growth, and leadership culture. Yet, despite this parity in drive, career trajectories diverge sharply.
The report reinforce that women are not opting out of leadership roles due to lack of interest or ambition. Instead, they are often excluded from the very opportunities that build leadership readiness—profit-and-loss responsibilities, sales exposure, and core business roles.
Career Progression Patterns: A Tale of Two Paths
The study highlights a stark difference in how men and women reach leadership positions.
- Men aged 50 and above: Nearly half (49%) had progressed within the same organisation, benefiting from structured promotion pathways and access to high-impact assignments.
- Women aged 50 and above: Only 20% had advanced within a single organisation. Instead, women leaders were more likely to switch employers, averaging 4.13 job changes compared with 3.17 for men.
This reliance on external opportunities suggests that women often face limited internal mobility, forcing them to seek career advancement elsewhere.
The Role Allocation Gap
Access to core business roles remains one of the most significant barriers.
- Women leaders: 49% are concentrated in enabling functions such as HR, legal, or support roles.
- Men leaders: Only 37% are in enabling roles, with the majority positioned in revenue-generating functions.
Among leaders under 35, the disparity is even more pronounced: 38% of women work in enabling roles compared with just 22% of men. This early-career gap has long-term consequences, as enabling roles rarely serve as direct pipelines to top leadership.
Profit-and-Loss and Sales Exposure: The Missing Link
Leadership readiness is often defined by exposure to profit-and-loss (P&L) responsibilities and sales roles. Here, the gender gap is glaring:
- P&L experience: 91% of male leaders reported having it, compared with only 68% of women.
- Sales experience: 90% of men had exposure, while just 45% of women did.
Without these critical experiences, women are often perceived as less prepared for senior leadership, regardless of their actual capabilities.
Perception of Fairness: A Confidence Divide
While organisations often claim to have gender-neutral policies, women’s perception of fairness tells a different story.
- Only 65% of women believe leadership decisions are unbiased, compared with 84% of men.
- 34% of women rated their organisations’ action against gender bias as average or below expectations, nearly double the 17% reported by men.
This perception gap reflects not only lived experiences but also the lack of visible accountability in addressing bias.
Structural Barriers Over Personal Choices
The findings dismantle the narrative that women’s underrepresentation in leadership is a matter of personal choice. Instead, they point to structural barriers:
- Limited access to core business roles.
- Fewer opportunities for P&L and sales exposure.
- Reliance on external mobility for career progression.
- Persistent perception gaps around fairness and bias.
These barriers are systemic, not individual, and require organisational intervention.
Implications for Corporate India
The report’s implications are profound. If organisations continue to allocate career-defining opportunities unevenly, the leadership gap will persist despite women’s ambition and capability.
For India Inc., this is not just a matter of equity but of competitiveness. Diverse leadership teams have been shown to drive innovation, improve decision-making, and enhance financial performance. By sidelining women from critical roles, organisations risk losing out on these benefits.
Recommendations for Change
The study suggests several pathways for organisations to address structural gaps:
- Redesign Career Pathways
- Ensure women have equal access to core business roles early in their careers.
- Create structured promotion pathways that do not disproportionately favour men.
- Expand P&L and Sales Opportunities
- Actively place women in profit-and-loss and sales roles to build leadership readiness.
- Provide mentorship and sponsorship to support women in these positions.
- Address Perception Gaps
- Increase transparency in leadership decisions.
- Implement measurable actions against bias and communicate progress clearly.
- Support Internal Mobility
- Reduce reliance on external job changes by creating robust internal mobility frameworks.
- Encourage cross-functional rotations to broaden women’s exposure.
Voices from the Field
Several women leaders interviewed as part of the study shared their experiences of navigating structural barriers. Many described being overlooked for core business roles despite strong performance, while others highlighted the need to switch organisations to access leadership opportunities.
One senior executive noted, “It wasn’t ambition that held me back—it was the lack of opportunities in my organisation. I had to move companies to get the exposure I needed.”
Such testimonies reinforce the report’s conclusion: ambition is not the issue; access is.
Conclusion
The Aon report paints a clear picture: the corporate ladder in India remains uneven for women, not because they lack ambition, but because structural barriers persist.
For organisations, the challenge is to dismantle these barriers and create equitable pathways to leadership. This requires more than gender-neutral policies—it demands intentional action to ensure women have equal access to career-defining opportunities.
As India Inc. strives to build future-ready leadership, the question is no longer whether women are ambitious enough. The real question is whether organisations are willing to redesign their structures to allow women to rise. For further insights into the evolving workplace paradigm, visit
