Women’s involvement in contractual and flexible positions within India’s IT and ITeS sector has increased steadily, reaching 40% in FY26, as per a recent report by Careernet. This marks a significant growth of 10 percentage points from about 30% in FY22. The study, based on a sample of approximately 3,000 contractual placements annually, indicates a rising preference for flexible work arrangements among women.
Currently, women constitute around 30% of the total contractual workforce in the IT/ITeS sector, totaling nearly 96,000 professionals out of an estimated 3.2 lakh workforce. Women are increasingly opting for core business functions in job roles, with Finance and Accounting being the top choice at 43% participation, followed by Data Science and Analytics at 34%. Additionally, roles in UX, design, and architecture have seen an uptick, representing 31% of participation.
The report also notes that women’s participation in flexible roles is concentrated in major tech hubs, with Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune collectively representing over half of the total talent pool. Cities like Delhi NCR and Chennai also make significant contributions, while Mumbai and Kolkata have smaller shares. Tier-2 cities contribute around 11%, indicating a more pronounced trend in metro regions.
Most women in these roles are in the early to mid stages of their careers, with professionals having 5 to 8 years of experience forming the largest group, closely followed by those with less than two years of experience, according to the report.
