Diversity and Inclusion are about giving value to every human being, no matter our differences
When my son was just seven years old, he saw an advertisement on television under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. The ad encouraged families to send their daughters to school, highlighting the importance of girls’ education. Watching intently, he turned to me and asked, with pure innocence, “Why is there a need for this advertisement? Aren’t all children supposed to go to school, whether they are boys or girls?”
That’s such a powerful reflection from a child! His innocent question highlights the very essence of what gender equality should look like—where access to education or equity at workplace is a given for everybody and is not something that needs special advocacy for the female gender.
Today, we are in the year 2025, and we are still fighting gender disparity. This highlights the urgency of advancing gender equality, which is why the clarion call theme for Women’s Day this year is to “Accelerate Action.” This is a cry to prioritize equity and challenge barriers—FAST.
As per – The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024 – Achieving full gender parity at the current rate, is projected to take until the year 2158, thus highlighting the critical need for swift and decisive measures to eliminate systemic barriers and biases that hinder women’s progress. In addition, the United Nations has also, designated the theme “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”
Both themes converge on the imperative to expedite actions toward achieving comprehensive gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls worldwide.
While developing nations are actively fighting this battle, it is disappointing to see that one of the world’s most progressive and developed countries had to roll back its DEI initiatives. Major corporations like Google, Walmart, and Meta in the U.S. have either shut down or scaled back their diversity programs. This creates a significant dent in the landscape of inclusivity and growth. The rollback of these initiatives was largely influenced by the ripple effect of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in higher education admissions, which led to corporate DEI efforts being scrutinized. Additionally, the shift in political leadership has further contributed to this retreat from inclusivity efforts.
The rollback of DEI programs can have profound implications for women and other underrepresented groups. Potential consequences include:
- Limited Career Development Opportunities: Without structured DEI programs, mentorship and advancement opportunities for women and minorities may diminish, hindering their professional growth.
- Reinforced Workplace Discrimination and Microaggressions: The absence of DEI training can lead to an increase in unconscious biases, resulting in a less inclusive work environment.
- Slower Progress Toward Leadership Roles: DEI initiatives often focus on promoting diverse leadership. Their reduction could mean fewer women and minorities in decision-making positions.
- Higher Risk of Job Displacement and Turnover: A non-inclusive environment may lead to higher attrition rates among underrepresented groups, affecting overall organizational stability.
- Widening of the Pay Gap: Without DEI efforts addressing pay disparities, existing wage gaps could further widen.
This shifts in DEI initiatives by U.S. corporations have also raised concerns about potential impacts on Indian companies, especially those with close ties to U.S.-based multinationals. While DEI remains a priority in India, reductions in global funding or executive focus on inclusion could slow the pace of new DEI initiatives. A dipstick survey of senior leadership from 44 Indian and multinational companies, shared exclusively with Economic Times by diversity and inclusion strategy firm Avtar, has found that at US MNCs with Indian entities, 28% are putting DEI programmes on hold while another 28% are pausing them and awaiting further direction. Around 40% of the surveyed companies were US-based.
This is an unfortunate reality for US companies where “DEI has suddenly become a bad word that no one wants to be associated with” as said by Antony Alex of Rainmaker, however the Indian companies see it differently.
Championing Inclusion: How Indian homegrown companies are paving the way in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives
When it comes to India, our homegrown companies are leading from the front in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs despite the complex and diverse cultural and socio-economic fabric.
Tata Group’s ‘Second Career Internship Program’ supports women returning to the workforce, where apart from full time opportunities, it also extends consulting assignments enabling flexibility while providing mentoring.
Infosys’ DEI framework includes leadership mentorship programs like IWIN – Infosys Women’s Inclusivity Network, due to which 22.2% of women are represented in their board and 39.3% women in workforce. Their programs are not limited to women and extend to LGBTQIA+ initiatives, taking in military veterans and employees with disabilities among others. It does not stop here and is Aiming for 50% gender parity in leadership roles by 2027.
While Companies like Hindustan Lever have 45% women in workforce and their DEI initiatives extend even to supplier diversity programs where its supplier base is diverse by actively engaging with minority-owned businesses, including those owned by women and individuals from marginalized communities.
We have opportunity as Indian companies to lead with these initiatives from the front globally. And to be successful in this, we believe that true organizational transformation is necessary and this can happen by embedding DEI into the company’s core culture and operational strategy by creating and Promoting workplace cultures by
- Aligning DEI with Business Strategy: Embedding DEI into the company’s vision, mission, and values. Designing inclusive policies that integrate diversity with long-term business goals.
- Restructuring Organizational Design for Inclusivity: Creating equitable career pathways and promotion frameworks. Implementing bias-free hiring and performance evaluation systems.
- Shaping an Inclusive Workplace Culture: Conducting DEI workshops and leadership coaching to instil cross gender allyship and inclusive behaviours. Establishing safe spaces like Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for underrepresented employees. Mentoring and training potential diverse leaders to help them be ready to take on the leadership roles in the near future
- Implementing Data-Driven DEI Transformation: Designing DEI metrics dashboards to track representation, pay equity, and engagement. Helping organizations take action based on workforce data insights.
- Driving Supplier Diversity & Women Entrepreneurship: Consulting on procurement policies to include women-led and minority-owned businesses. Supporting partnerships that foster an inclusive economic ecosystem.
India has made significant strides in gender and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, but there is still room for growth in implementation, accountability, and cultural shifts. Learning from global best practices while tailoring them to India’s unique landscape can accelerate progress. However, recent DEI rollbacks in the US serve as a reminder that inclusion efforts require continuous commitment. We can no longer be complacent.
While top Indian companies are leading from the front with their initiatives, it is critical that each one of us plays a part in this change. The change starts from home, where we create a gender-neutral space and accept diversity as it is. The World Economic Forum says, it will take another 133 years to bridge this gap. Are you willing to wait this long? I am not!
This is a call for urgent action. Are you willing to respond???
Anwesha Bose 
Deeksha Nigam 
Siddhartha Dubey