The Opportunity Index 2021

In news : According to LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021, around 85% of women in India have missed out on a raise, promotion because of their gender

About the Index

The Index highlights the difference in perception of available opportunities in the market for men and women in India.
The Index seeks to understand how people perceive opportunities and the barriers that stand in the way of achieving them.
The current report dives deep to understand how women perceive opportunities, and how the gender gap is further slowing down career progress for working women in India amid the pandemic.

Key findings

Impact of Covid 19:As per the report, nine in ten women stated that they were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Gender equality: It shows that even though 66% of people in India feel that gender equality has improved compared to their parents’ age, India’s working women still face the strongest gender bias across Asia Pacific countries.
Opportunities: When asked about their reasons for being unhappy with opportunities to advance in their careers, 1 in 5 (22%) working women in India said their companies exhibit a ‘favourable bias’ towards men at work, when compared to the regional average of 16%.
As per the index, 37% of India’s working women say they get fewer opportunities than men, only 25% of men agree with this sentiment
Impact of Gender: The analysis of the index shows that more women in India have experienced the impact of gender on career development when compared to the APAC region.
Career: Lack of time and family care stop 7 in 10 Indian women from progressing in their careers.
Top three jobs: In India, the top three job opportunities sought by both men and women are job security, a job that they love, and good work-life balance.
But despite having similar goals, more women (63%) think a person’s gender is important to get ahead in life, when compared to men (54%).
Hurdles for career development:
- More than 7 in 10 working women (71%) and working mothers (77%) feel that managing familial responsibilities often comes in their way of career development.
- Lack of required professional skills, and a lack of guidance through networks and connections are also some of the other barriers that get in the way of career development for working women in India.
Around two-thirds of working women (63%) and working mothers (69%) said they have faced discrimination at work because of familial and household responsibilities.
The index mentions that while job security is critical for working women across India, women are laying more emphasis on the type of employer they choose to work with, the recognition they will receive for the work they do, and on the skills that will be utilised on the job.
Type of employer: As per the Index, they are actively seeking employers who treat them as equal (50%), while 56% are looking to get recognition at work for what they do.