Number of women in India’s corporate boardrooms crossed 10 lakhs at the end of 2025, still it is lower than half of numbers for men, a report by Statistics Ministry, released on Wednesday showed. Meanwhile, share of women among judges, police and army are not very encouraging.
The 27th edition of annual publication ‘Women and Men in India,’ by Statistics Ministry termed the decision-making as fundamental to the exercise of agency and the ability of individuals to shape social, economic, and political outcomes. Women, who are equally affected by contemporary challenges in development, peace, and security, must therefore be engaged in decision-making processes across all spheres and at all levels, it said.
Yet, “despite this imperative, women remain significantly underrepresented in key decision-making institutions, particularly within legislative, judicial, and executive domains,” it said. Moreover, available data on women’s participation in public decision-making often fails to fully capture women’s autonomy and agency in private and community spaces, where entrenched social norms and discriminatory practices continue to constrain their ability to make choices freely, it added.
Women participation
Talking about women participation in the corporate world, the report highlighted that around 74 per cent increase in Men engaged in managerial positions between 2017 and 2025, whereas there has been over 102 per cent increase in women engaged in managerial positions during the same time period. Data showed that while number of men in board or directors reached over 24 lakh as on December 31, 2025, that of women was little over 10 lakhs. The report also recorded presence of 287 transgender in the boards.
In judiciary, the report highlighted that Of the 1,122 approved judicial positions, only 118 are held by women, accounting for just 14.3 per cent of the judiciary. In the Supreme Court, women constitute merely 3.03 per cent of the permanent strength of 33 judges. Among the States and UT, Sikkim has highest share of women among judges with 33 per cent, followed by Punjab & Haryana with around 29 per cent) and Telangana with 25 per cent.
Defence sector
In the defence sector, including the army and navy, number of women serving has increased between 2020 and 2025. Women account for 8.31 per cent of the total defence forces with the highest share in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (15.42 per cent), followed by Indian Air Force (12.92 per cent). Among the police officer, women constitutes 10 per cent of total strength.
Meanwhile, the report said that women’s participation in household decision-making has seen a marked improvement, as, at least 16 out of 28 States and 6 out of 8 Union Territories report more than 90 per cent of women participating in household decision-making as of 2019-21.
It also mentioned that the sex ratio at birth has increased at the all-India level, indicating improved survival of females reaching from 904 in 2017-19 to 917 in 2021-23.
Published on April 29, 2026