The latest Public Enterprises Survey shows women constituted just 9.8% of total employees in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) at the end of FY 2024-25 and their absolute numbers fell, from 77,625 in FY 2023-24 to 76,685, even as the broader conversation about women's representation in public life grew louder.
The data exposes a sharp internal hierarchy. Of the women employed in CPSEs, 32.4% were at the managerial or executive level, 8.7% held supervisory roles, and 58.9% were in worker categories. In other words, fewer than one in ten women in the public sector reaches a supervisory position , a figure that has itself fallen from 10.08% in FY 2022-23.
The gap is particularly notable when set against the private sector: surveys indicate that roughly one in four women in private employment holds a managerial role, and about one in three is present at entry level.
Many CPSEs operate in male-dominated industries : mining, energy, defence production where long shifts, mandatory remote postings and limited support infrastructure such as creches and safe transport have historically made it difficult for women to enter or stay. Experts and policymakers have pointed to skewed recruitment processes and male-dominated workplace cultures as compounding factors.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee flagged the same concern in March 2025, noting that women constitute only 7% of the eligible pool for top positions and hold just 7% of board-level roles across CPSEs. The committee called on the Department of Personnel and Training to examine structural barriers and implement concrete measures.
Proposed remedies include time-bound hiring targets for every PSU, gender-balanced selection and promotion boards, paid career re-entry programmes, and employer incentives tied to childcare and flexible working provisions.
