New Delhi: Women in India's formal workforce stay in their jobs "36 per cent" longer than men, said a new report, debunking the perception that they are a retention risk.
The data-led findings, conducted by fintech platform SalarySe, are based on an analysis of over 47,800 EPFO records of its registered users, primarily salaried professionals in urban areas.
"The median tenure for women stands at 10.6 months, compared to just 7.8 months for men. In fact, only a mere 36% of women leave their jobs within the first six months, as opposed to 44 per cent of men," the report said.
However, despite higher retention, according to the report, women remain underrepresented in the formal workforce, with only one in 13 workers being female, accounting for 7.6 per cent of all EPFO records.
The analysis also highlighted a structural gap wherein women who enter the workforce tend to stay longer, but access to opportunities remains uneven across sectors and roles.
Sector-wise, the IT industry recorded the highest share of women among major sectors at 13.2 per cent, nearly double the overall average.
While the education sector had the highest representation -- with women accounting for 20.3 per cent of workers -- the manufacturing and construction sectors remained male-dominated, with women accounting for 3.6 per cent and 3.2 per cent of the workforce, respectively.
The study also pointed to a sharp drop in participation among women aged 35-45 years, with 19.5 per cent exiting the workforce compared to 12.4 per cent of men, aligning with life events such as marriage and motherhood.
Commenting on the findings, Piyush Bagaria, co-founder, SalarySe, said the perception around women being harder to retain is not borne out by data.
"The conversation around women in the workforce has been dominated by the assumption that they are harder to retain, that they leave faster, and that investing in them is somehow riskier. But when you actually look at the numbers, none of that holds up" he said, adding that financial systems in India are not aligned with women's career realities.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.