THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In what could be termed as the ‘emergence of woman power’ in the state’s IT sector, the number of women professionals in top management is on the rise. According to GTech, a group representing IT and BPM firms in Kerala, there has been a significant increase in the number of women professionals serving as decision makers in IT companies over the last three years.
As per data sourced by TNIE from the IT department, the women workforce at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram is 45%, while it is 40% at both Kochi’s Infopark and Cyberpark in Kozhikode. This comprises the total average female workforce in the state’s IT parks, which comes to around 42%. The data also indicated that strength of women in top management positions has increased by 25-30% in three years. The national average of women in IT sector is 34%.
“This is a positive trend. Women are increasingly being appointed decision-makers or leaders in IT firms. In some companies, women employees have surpassed the 60% mark. This trend is proportional to the number of female engineering graduates or diploma holders.They are more hardworking and equally efficient as male professionals,” said V Sreekumar, secretary of GTech and centre head at Tata Elxsi.
“Moreover, the support mechanisms in the state and the entire IT ecosystem encourage more women to enter the field,” he added. Sindhu Ramachandran, director (technology), leader of Center of Excellence (CoE) for artificial intelligence at Quest Global, said initiatives taken by the government and corporations have played a considerable role in driving the participation of women in the workforce.
At least 50,000 women among 1.2 lakh employees in IT parks
“For instance, women-friendly policies that give importance to families and children, daycare facilities at company campuses, and flexible working hours motivate women on career breaks to return and strive for more. While education and career development are inherently given importance in the state, several opportunities such as internships, externships, and skilling in emerging technologies are provided to women interested in STEM education by many engineering colleges to make them ‘industry-ready’,” Sindhu said.
She said women are encouraged and supported within organisations to grow and take top management positions. “Companies are increasingly making it their prerogative to have women leaders take charge and lead from the front. While several companies value women’s different perspectives, others regard them as effective communicators and adaptable and innovative thinkers,” Sindhu said.
As per the IT department’s estimates, at least 50,000 women professionals are among the 1.2 lakh employees in 900 companies operating from various IT parks in the state.
Penetration of women in large numbers from the entry level to superior positions happened in the last two years, especially after the pandemic struck. About 20% at the supervisory level and 10% at the senior management level in Technopark companies are women, while women employees make up for nearly 50% at the entry level, industry sources said.
“It is great to see that more and more women are becoming ambitious and prepared to take on the world. They are demanding more from work and making their presence known. They are proving that they cannot be ignored. Having women leaders has ushered diversity in the workplace. I believe leadership is not a position per se. It is about inspiring and mentoring others and bringing teamwork. Women in leadership positions can influence policies of an organisation bringing in gender-parity. Companies like the one I work for have always been equal opportunity employers,” said Shilpa Menon, Centre Head, UST, Thiruvana-nthapuram.