Benchmarking women in leadership across Indian healthcare

The brief

• Benchmark gender diversity practices and women's representation in leadership across private hospitals and pharma companies in India
• Identify the drivers and barriers shaping women's advancement into senior roles, including policy, culture and structural enablers
• Generate sector-specific recommendations to help organizations set targets and design interventions

The problem

No comparable benchmark on women's representation or the policies driving it across Indian hospitals and pharma

Our approach

A 10-minute online survey of 150 senior decision-makers, with weighted industry averages and significance testing at 95%

• Surveyed 150 senior leaders: 110 hospitals and 40 pharma companies, April to May 2025
• Screened to private hospitals with 200+ beds and pharma firms in manufacturing, R&D, devices and consumer health
• Captured representation by level, policies, mentorship, attrition drivers and ecosystem needs
• Applied industry weighted averages, 95% significance testing and cross-tabulations

Key outcomes

A sector benchmark linking leadership targets and policies to measurable gains in women's representation

• Women hold 48% of the hospital workforce versus 28% in pharma, with representation falling from 44% at entry level to 24% in the C-suite
• Identified the policy gaps holding women back, from leadership development to flexibility and relocation support
• Showed organizations with higher NPS scores report significantly greater women's representation at every leadership level