It’s 2025 and we are still talking about the basic needs of women in the workplace. Needs, not wants. Women don’t need symbolic gestures at work. We don’t need purple-washed policies that make the organisation look progressive but change absolutely nothing. Indian women need real, tangible change that makes the workplace genuinely inclusive and fair. So, let’s talk about what that looks like – especially for women in India, who deal with a unique cocktail of biases, expectations, and professional challenges.

Stop the tokenism

Women in the boardroom? Good. But how about fixing the toxic work culture that makes women work twice as hard as men for the same position and moving beyond the one-woman-in-every-panel nonsense? Leadership isn’t a diversity checklist – it’s about giving capable women actual decision-making power, not just a seat at the table as a token representative.

Equal pay

Yes, we’re still talking about it in 2025. A man and a woman get the same job, have the same qualifications but different salaries. It’s exhausting how this conversation keeps coming up, but here we are. Indian workplaces love the idea of women “contributing to the family income,” but let’s get real: Women don’t work for pocket money. They work for the same reasons as men – financial freedom.

Instead of PR-friendly “women empowerment” campaigns, companies need to put their money where their mouth is and ensure equal pay for equal work. No negotiation games, no justifications.

More women in leadership and not just HR

Women in HR and Reception? Check. Women in finance, strategy, and tech leadership? Rare.

If companies are serious about gender equality, they need to get more women into CEO roles, boardrooms, and core strategy teams, not just roles that have been traditionally labelled as “suitable for women.”

Safe workplaces are a right, not a privilege

Women don’t want to be “grateful” for a workplace that feels safe. Harassment policies shouldn’t just exist on paper, they need to be enforced without loopholes that protect powerful men. No more internal committees that sweep things under the rug. No more forcing women to “adjust” to workplace creeps.

And let’s be honest: Safety isn’t just about sexual harassment. It’s about the everyday microaggressions, the patronising comments, the mansplaining, and the endless interruptions in meetings. Fix that, too.

Career growth beyond 30

Too many Indian workplaces assume a woman’s ambition expires once she gets married. Promotions dry up, challenging projects are handed over to “more stable” (read: unmarried or male) colleagues, and suddenly, she’s on a slow track to professional stagnation.

Let’s get this straight: Marriage and motherhood do not make a woman less competent. If men can balance work and personal life, why is it still a question mark for women? The real fix? Stop assuming a woman’s career is secondary to her personal life and start investing in her long-term growth.

Women don’t want special treatment they want fair treatment. They don’t want performative feminism, they want policies that actually make a difference. Because at the end of the day, a workplace that works for women works better for everyone.

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