According to the Ministry of Education’s Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025–26 report, women make up 54.9% of India’s school teaching workforce. While this reflects their strong participation in the teaching profession, that share drops steeply as they move up the academic ladder in higher education. The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023–24 report shows women account for 44.2% of assistant professors and 34.1% of associate professors. Their share falls further to 27.2% at the professor level.
Dr Uma Bhardwaj, vice-chancellor of Noida International University, sees the gap between women’s strong presence in school education and their declining representation at senior levels in higher education as a leadership-pipeline issue. She suggests that women entering academia do not receive the same encouragement or opportunities as their male counterparts do to take on leadership roles.
“As academic careers advance, the expectations change from teaching and classroom performance to research leadership, institutional decision-making and strategic responsibility,” she explains. “Without timely exposure to such responsibilities, women find it harder to make the transition to senior positions.”
Dr Sushma Vishnani, director of Jaipuria Institute of Management, concurs, emphasising that the disparity in career progression between men and women goes beyond pay. Research partnerships, professional networks and leadership roles can all influence career progression, but women may find them harder to access, particularly when advancement also requires geographic mobility. “Career breaks or hesitation to relocate can sometimes be seen as a sign that an academic is not fully committed to her career,” she says. The pressure to move for a job can be particularly difficult for women with children or elderly parents, she adds. Dr Vishnani also points out that systems that place a strong emphasis on research publishing can make progression more difficult for women with significant family responsibilities.
“A good institution should have the maturity to understand that careers are not always linear,” says Dr Bhardwaj, arguing that women should not be penalised for taking a break, and that universities need to make a sustained effort to help women remain in academia, develop their careers, and move into leadership roles.
“Institutions must track women’s representation at each stage, from hiring to retention, promotion and leadership, and share that data openly within the institution,” Dr Vishnani suggests. She also points to practical measures such as maternity and adoption support, childcare, effective POSH mechanisms, mentoring and structured re-entry to help women remain in academia and progress in their careers.
It is important for young women considering academia to start building professional relationships while they are still in college, stresses Dr Bhardwaj. An experienced academic who recognises a young woman’s potential, introduces her to professional networks and encourages her at key stages can be as valuable as another qualification. Finding such people early, staying in touch and being clear about one’s ambitions can help open up opportunities as a career progresses. The world may take time to change, but a career does not have to wait for it.
