Women rise in AI roles, but leadership gap persists

As India prepares to mark International Women’s Day, new industry data and expert insights suggest that while women are rapidly expanding their presence in advanced technology roles such as artificial intelligence (AI), structural barriers within corporate systems continue to limit their progress into senior leadership positions.

A recent report titled Wired for Impact by Kaalari Capital highlights the growing participation of women in India’s AI talent pool. Women currently account for roughly one in five professionals in India’s technology workforce, a figure projected to rise significantly, with over 3.3 lakh women expected to hold AI roles by 2027.

The report also indicates a strong shift toward deep-tech careers. Nearly 41% of women technologists now prefer AI and machine learning (AI/ML) as their primary career track, reflecting increasing interest in areas such as generative AI, cybersecurity and advanced analytics.

Women are already strengthening their presence across emerging technology segments. They represent around 15% of doctoral candidates working in generative AI, while one in four Master of Computer Applications (MCA) cybersecurity students focusing on AI-led threat detection are women. Participation is even stronger in AI-driven data analytics and business intelligence, where women account for 30–35% of the workforce.

Industry leaders say women engineers are also contributing to foundational technology development.

Roshana Atmaram, Senior Director – Firmware Engineering at Western Digital, said innovation in deep engineering domains depends on inclusive talent pools.

“Innovation thrives when diverse talent comes together and is empowered to push the boundaries of what’s possible. In core engineering domains like firmware and storage, women engineers play a critical role in solving complex, system-level challenges that power AI and platforms at scale,” she said, adding that building strong centres of engineering excellence in India can help women engineers contribute to global technology roadmaps and core intellectual property.

Leadership gap persists

However, despite rising participation in technology roles, women continue to face structural challenges in progressing to senior leadership positions.

A separate study released by Aon plc titled Gender and Leadership at India Inc found that the leadership gap in corporate India is driven less by women’s ambition and more by how leadership opportunities are structured and allocated.

The study, based on a survey of 1,500 leaders including over 400 women across more than 30 cities, found that men and women demonstrate comparable levels of ambition and similar career drivers, including purpose, growth and leadership culture.

However, career trajectories diverge significantly with seniority. By the age of 50, only 20% of women advanced within the same organisation compared with 49% of men, suggesting that women are more likely to rely on external moves to progress. On average, women leaders reported more career transitions than men (4.13 versus 3.17).

Limited exposure to core business roles

One of the key reasons for the gap is limited access to revenue-generating and operational roles that are often stepping stones to top leadership positions.

The study found that 49% of women leaders work in enabling functions, such as HR or support roles, compared with 37% of men. Among leaders under 35, the disparity is even more pronounced, with 38% of women in enabling roles compared with 22% of men.

Experience gaps are particularly visible in profit-and-loss (P&L) management and sales roles. While 91% of men reported P&L experience, the figure drops to 68% for women. Similarly, only 45% of women leaders have held sales roles compared with 90% of men.

“The data suggests that India does not have a shortage of capable women; it has a leadership design issue,” said Nitin Sethi, Head of Talent Solutions for India at Aon plc. He added that organisations need to deliberately place women in high-impact business roles if they want to close leadership gaps and build sustainable growth.

Perception gap around fairness

The report also highlights a trust gap between how organisational systems are designed and how they are experienced.

Men consistently reported higher perceptions of fairness in pay and promotion decisions than women. While most leaders said their organisations value diversity, only 65% of women believed leadership decisions were unbiased compared with 84% of men, indicating a 19-point perception gap.

Additionally, 34% of women rated organisational action against gender bias as average or inadequate, compared with 17% of men, suggesting lower confidence among women that companies will effectively address bias.

Shilpa Khanna, Advisory Leader for Talent Solutions in India at Aon plc and lead author of the study, said organisations must rethink how leadership decisions are made and communicated.

“When systems don’t feel fair, women are less likely to view stretch roles or risk-taking moves as worthwhile. Addressing this trust gap requires leaders to redesign how key decisions are made, communicated and explained,” she said.

As AI adoption accelerates across industries, experts say bridging both the skills gap and the leadership opportunity gap will be critical to ensuring women play a larger role in shaping India’s future technology and business landscape.