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More than three-quarters of corporate boards have less than 25% female representation: Flipcarbon’s Women in Leadership Report
Mumbai: Flipcarbon, a full-stack business consulting firm today announced the release of its maiden report on “Women in Leadership – Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices”. The in-depth report talks about women’s participation in the workplace, the role of women in building a sustainable future and shares best practices into building a diverse workplace. The report also highlights the gender inequality in leadership roles across businesses in the country.
Key data points from the report:
1. Increasing Female Enrolment in Higher Education:
● In FY 2020, 40 million students were enrolled in higher education in India. This is expected to rise to 92 million by FY 2035.
● Female enrolment in engineering colleges, which was nine per cent in 2017, increased to 20 per cent in 2021.
● Female students now make up 58 per cent of total undergraduate enrolment in fall of 2021.
2. Women’s Representation in Leadership:
● More than three-quarters of corporate boards have less than 25 per cent female representation.
● Across most elements explored, women continue to have less than 50 per cent, if not abysmally insignificant opportunity to participate and prove themselves.
● Only 11 per cent organizations have more than 50 per cent female representation across all levels of management.
3. Organisational Initiatives:
● While organisations are making strides, only 65 per cent believe there are equal opportunities for both genders among their employees.
● Initiatives such as flexible working arrangements, leadership mentoring programs, and gender-neutral recruitment are crucial for promoting diversity.
● Across most organizations maternity leave is still largely only legally compliant and not path breaking. Less than 15 per cent policies are better than the law.
● Almost 50 per cent organizations don’t have credible practices to reduce gender pay gap or reduce glass ceiling.
● Almost 40 per cent women make career compromises or must work harder than normal to succeed.
● Almost 25 per cent women face pregnancy or motherhood discrimination.
● About a third of all women feel the need to exhibit overtly masculine traits to succeed at work.
Flipcarbon CEO Alok Ranjan stated, “This is India’s century, and as we continue to showcase strength and leadership in areas such as technology and innovation, we also need to strengthen our focus on gender equality. We have seen a surge in female enrolment in higher education – from nine per cent to 20 per cent in engineering colleges within just 2017 to 2021. Women now comprise 58 per cent of undergraduate enrolment. Yet, when it comes to leadership roles in corporations, the numbers tell a different story. Globally, less than 20 per cent of C-suite positions are held by women, and most corporate boards still lack and do very little to increase female representation. There is a need to demand transparency in hiring and promotion processes. Hold leaders accountable for achieving gender balance in leadership teams – Diversity of thought is our greatest asset, which needs to be leveraged.”
Ranjan further added, “We need to listen and acknowledge that there is a problem, we need to actively work towards creating an ecosystem of inclusivity and build programs and opportunities that enable us to bridge the gap. We need to work on grassroot level changes.”
While organisations are seeing progress, only 65 per cent believe there are equal opportunities for both genders among their employees. To overcome the barriers that persist, the report outlines several key initiatives such as including equal pay, flexible work arrangements, and mentorship programs.
The Women In Leadership report is based on a comprehensive survey of 68 per cent female, 30 per cent male, and two per cent others respondents. The respondents represented diverse management levels, including 27 per cent senior management, 29 per cent middle management, and 36 per cent junior management.
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Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
