Why women bureaucrats lose out on senior posts

Source: The post is based on an article “Why women bureaucrats lose out on senior posts” published in The Indian Express on 30^th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS 1 – Issues Related with Women

Relevance: concerns with women bureaucrats in getting top positions.

News: In June 1991, India’s 10th Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao, formed a group of bureaucrats, technocrats, and politicians to initiate the liberalization of India’s economy. This team consisted entirely of men.

Why weren’t women included in the team?

First, the Indian Administrative Services (IAS), from which the team members were primarily selected, had a limited number of women. Recruitment rules were biased towards men, as only unmarried women were allowed to join the services and were required to resign if they got married.

Second, by the time Rao was putting together his team, women officers were either too junior in rank or ongoing systemic issues kept them out of senior positions.

Third, despite the removal of entry barriers, there was a lack of trust in women’s capabilities. Women were often assigned to “soft” departments, and there has been a lack of representation of women in top positions in India.

Why are women bureaucrats not given top positions in India?

The issue of representation of women in senior positions in India is not due to a lack of talent. There are highly deserving female civil servants who are just as qualified as their male counterparts.

However, it is systematic challenges and bias that prevents women from holding top position.

For instance, Renuka Viswanathan, the first woman district magistrate in Karnataka, held a doctorat d’etat (higher than a doctorate) in public finance.

However, when she sought a position in the finance ministry in the 1980s, her appointment was not easily granted.

Further, there were many competent women bureaucrats during the 1990s who could have been considered as part of the Rao’s team. However, they weren’t considered.

Moreover, even when the government hired laterally for the team in 1991, women were given lower positions compared to the men.

For instance, Padma Desai was offered a lower grade compared to the position her husband Montek Singh Ahluwalia received when he joined laterally at a younger age and with lower qualifications than hers.

Moreover, organisations like the IMF and the World Bank served as ways through which talent came to India.

However, even in these institutions men have enjoyed top positions, including the position of executive director (India) to the World Bank, to this day.

What can be the way ahead?

There has been a positive shift in recent years in the representation of women in the Indian civil services.

For instance, in the latest round of the union civil service examinations, out of the 933 candidates selected, 320 were women, marking the highest number to date.

However, these numbers do not indicate how many will reach top leadership positions in the services, particularly in the ministries of finance, commerce and industry, home, and defence.

Therefore, as the number of women entering the services increases, it presents an opportunity for the organization to reevaluate their talent retention and advance policies to ensure that women are equally represented in high-ranking positions.