The WICCI I-Lead conducts a survey on gender equity among the leadership of Indian communications and marketing organisations. Here’s what the data revealed. 

1. I-Lead survey on Gender Equity
at the workplace
amongst Leadership of Communications & Marketing
companies in India.
R e s e a r c h b y E n s w y p e
IIM Ahmedabad

2. Research by
To create awareness about gender
equity at the work place in
communications,PR and marketing
companies, and bring about effective
change at the modern workplace.
Business Objective
Understand from senior & middle
management of Communications,
PR & Marketing companies, about
their approach towards Gender
equity, growth & diversity at the
workplace.
Research Objective
Objective of the study
IIM Ahmedabad
All figures are in percentages, unless mentioned otherwise*

3. Approach
A customized quantitative survey on the
enswype video research platform.
Senior & Middle management (8+ years
experience) of PR, Advertising, Digital, Media
buying, Events & IP’s, OOH and other allied
marketing and communications support
companies
Target audience
Number of interviews – 106
​
City: PAN India
Research by
IIM Ahmedabad
All figures are in percentages, unless mentioned otherwise*
Timeframe: 9th January till 10th March 2023

4. MALE FEMALE OTHER
NOT
SHARED
WORK
TITLE
Owner/
Founder/CXO
Team Lead HR Other
WORK
EXPERIENCE 8-10 YRS 11-15 YRS 16-20 YRS >20YRS
WHICH
GENDER ARE
YOU?
33 67 0 0
26 51 6 17
18 20 23 40
INDUSTRY
Advtg/Mktg/
Digital
Corp affairs Media PR/Comms
35 8 7 50
LOCATION Mumbai Delhi/NCR Bangalore Kolkata Chennai
40 34 15 1 1
Hyderabad Ahmedabad Pune Jaipur Others
7 0 2 0 6
Total Visitors to website
(From Google Analytics): 333
Total started surveys: 144
Total filled surveys: 106
Sample Achieved
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

5. Key Summary
32% say women leaders feel unsafe voicing
opinions online.
Having Personal Commitments seems to be the
biggest reason for women not getting promoted.
01
2/3rd women feel there is no gender equity in their
industries.
02
04
Senior management seem to skew the perception about
fair remuneration in an organisation - 85% feel its fair.
03
63% feel that training for women after a career
break does not exist.
05
69% feel there is minimal representation of women
in leadership.
06
90% feel inclusive culture will further aid the positive
impact of gender equity & help a company's culture.
07
08
IIM Ahmedabad
Leaders feel wary about sharing even anonymous
opinions about gender equity. Treating Gender Equity on
par with sensitive financial or strategic matters.
57% of leaders didn't start the survey.
Research by

6. Gender No Maybe Yes
Female 42 17 8
Male 9 12 12
Industry No Maybe Yes
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 14 15 6
Corporate Affairs 4 2 3
Media 4 1 2
PR/Integrated Comms 29 11 9
Title No Maybe Yes
HR Lead 3 2 1
Other 10 4 3
Owner/Founder/CXO 9 9 8
Team Lead 28 14 8
Function No Maybe Yes
Brand/Corporate Communication 26 14 9
Client servicing 17 11 7
Content/ Design/ Production 3 0 2
HR & Talent 5 4 2
2/3rd women say that there is no gender equity in
their industries.
51% feel men and women are not treated equally
in their industry
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

7. Gender No Maybe Yes
Female 32 22 12
Male 10 8 16
Industry No Maybe Yes
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 16 10 8
Corporate Affairs 3 3 3
Media 2 2 3
PR/Integrated Comms 21 15 14
Title No Maybe Yes
HR Lead 3 2 1
Other 7 4 7
Owner/Founder/CXO 11 4 11
Team Lead 21 21 9
Function No Maybe Yes
Brand/Corporate Communication 20 17 13
Client servicing 14 10 10
Content/ Design/Production 4 0 1
HR & Talent 4 3 4
Only 28% feel there is gender equity in their industry
IIM Ahmedabad
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8. Gender Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree
Female 38 17 11 1
Male 10 20 3 0
Industry Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 19 11 5 0
Corporate Affairs 4 3 2 0
Media 3 2 1 1
PR/Integrated Comms 23 21 7 0
Title Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree
HR Lead 2 1 2 1
Other 9 5 3 0
Owner/Founder/CXO 11 13 2 0
Team Lead 25 18 8 0
Function Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree
Brand/Corporate Communication 25 19 7 0
Client servicing 15 15 5 0
Content/ Design/Production 3 0 1 1
HR & Talent 6 3 2 0
However, this perception is skewed by men
and CXO/ founder /owner/ Team lead.
Overall more women disagree with this than
men
85% say that remuneration policy is fair in
their company
IIM Ahmedabad
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9. Research by
Fair Remuneration
IIM Ahmedabad
Word Cloud
Research by

10. Fair Remuneration Themes
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

11. Paying on par or above industry for talent with the right expertise, experience, skill sets,
potential, irrespective of caste, creed, color, community gender.
Same wage for same kind of work is standard but I think it should also include distance from
work hence time commitments, single parents of either gender, age etc. should inform
remuneration to make it fair.
Effort given is directly proportional to income generated. This should be applicable across all
genders.
On the basis of talent and skills and performance and not including any other factor.
Pay is decided by the role. Is unbiased. Does not depend on gender. Does not penalize women for
maternity breaks.
Talent, supported with skill set and experience defines a candidate's standpoint and
remuneration. Gender discrimination is irrelevant.
Singular approach to compensation bands, Fair and Merit based hiring and performance
management systems. Use of data and analytics to ensure there is no significant deviation at
every level.
Equal pay as per the industry standards irrespective of gender. This also includes equal
opportunities for growth.
What does
Fair Remuneration
mean?
Voice of employees
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

12. Gender Incompetence Maternity leave Personal commitments Other
Female 13 8 26 20
Male 16 2 4 11
Industry Incompetence Maternity leave Personal commitments Other
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 12 2 11 9
Corporate Affairs 0 0 3 6
Media 2 2 1 2
PR/Integrated Comms 15 6 15 14
Title Incompetence Maternity leave Personal commitments Other
HR Lead 0 1 3 2
Other 5 1 8 3
Owner/Founder/CXO 12 3 6 6
Team Lead 12 5 13 21
Function Incompetence Maternity leave Personal commitments Other
Brand/CorporateCommunication 18 5 13 14
Client servicing 10 4 9 11
Content/ Design/Production 0 1 3 1
HR & Talent 1 0 5 5
Women very strongly feel it’s the personal
commitment However, men feel its
incompetence.
Almost equal numbers feel that Personal Commitment followed by incompetence are the reasons for women not being promoted.
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

13. Promotion Challenges
WOMEN VERY STRONGLY FEEL IT’S THE PERSONAL COMMITMENT HOWEVER, MEN FEEL ITS INCOMPETENCE.
IIM Ahmedabad
Word Cloud
Research by

14. Perception has built that
women are less sticky to jobs
due to personal commitment
and this has created a bias
that does not allow due
promotions.
Promotion Challenges
IIM Ahmedabad
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15. WOMEN FEEL THAT MANAGERS ARE BIASED AND ASSUME THAT WOMEN HAVE PERSONAL COMMITMENTS.
Fair remuneration themes
IIM Ahmedabad
Figures here are in absolute numbers*
Research by

16. Preferential treatment to men; making the team leads choose men
over equally qualified and meritorious women.
Could range from maternity to family priorities to the impression that
men are more committed than women.
Personal commitments, maternity and most importantly the 'notion'
or 'belief' that women will not be as effective.
Possible factors - personal bias of the supervisor, lack of proper team
relationships.
While lack of capability is largely the issue, however, have witnessed
some deep seated biases also playing a role.
Women feel more guilt in leaving household chores and do office
work.
Reasons for women not getting promoted:
Voice of employees
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

17. Gender No Yes
Female 40 27
Male 24 9
Industry No Yes
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 23 12
Corporate Affairs 6 3
Media 4 3
PR/Integrated Comms 31 19
Title No Yes
HR Lead 4 2
Other 8 9
Owner/Founder/CXO 15 11
Team Lead 37 14
Function No Yes
Brand/Corporate Communication 31 19
Client servicing 23 12
Content/ Design/Production 3 2
HR & Talent 7 4
There seems to be a vacuum in this area that needs
to be filled.
63% feel that women don’t get any training post a
career break.
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

18. Gender Less than 5% 6 - 10% 11 - 20% More than 20%
Female 24 13 12 18
Male 9 4 8 13
Industry Less than 5% 6 - 10% 11 - 20% More than 20%
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 13 5 9 8
Corporate Affairs 5 2 2 1
Media 4 1 0 2
PR/Integrated Comms 11 11 9 20
Title Less than 5% 6 - 10% 11 - 20% More than 20%
HR Lead 2 2 2 1
Other 9 2 2 4
Owner/Founder/CXO 9 4 4 10
Team Lead 13 9 12 16
Function Less than 5% 6 - 10% 11 - 20% More than 20%
Brand/Corporate Communication 20 8 8 14
Client servicing 8 5 9 13
Content/ Design/Production 3 1 0 1
HR & Talent 3 3 3 2
69% feel that women form less than 20%
of leadership.
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

19. Gender No Yes
Female 5 62
Male 5 28
Industry No Yes
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 4 31
Corporate Affairs 0 8
Media 1 6
PR/Integrated Comms 5 45
Title No Yes
HR Lead 0 6
Other 2 15
Owner/Founder/CXO 4 23
Team Lead 4 47
Function No Yes
Brand/Corporate Communication 4 46
Client servicing 6 28
Content/ Design/Production 0 5
HR & Talent 0 10
90% AGREE THAT GENDER EQUITY
HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

20. Positives of
gender equity
Brings a more positively
aligned culture and a better
work environment, that allows
for richer perspectives and
higher productivity - Will help
build in the softer aspects (EQ)
in an organisation.
Research by
IIM Ahmedabad
Word Cloud

21. Gender Equity Themes
Women are more keen on having more women at senior levels.
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

22. “Looking at business and culture from an EQ lens and not just revenue and numbers”
“Positively. It brings in more collaborative approach that is driven with kindness and empathy.”
“It creates a free culture that is inclusive , collaborative and focused on individual growth . An individuals growth also contributes to
the overall company growth”
“Nurtures talent, builds progression & aids meritorious growth”
“If the culture is inclusive and fair, it makes it a better environment to work in. Beyond that, it may even to begin to impact how men
treat other women in
their personal lives because of this exposure and also how women who work in safe and fair environments may begin to demand
that in their lives outside the workplace too.”
“Business grows in sensible way by making profit and retaining employees who are actually worthy for the organization”
“Builds inclusivity and gives everyone the space and confidence to contribute to their best”
“It makes a strong cultural foundation for a company to succeed in today's environment”
“Diverse viewpoints perspectives help overall organisation in stronger offerings better products stronger culture”
“Women feel inspired and men get used to working for women leaders”
“Businesses and nonprofits that actively support gender equality tend to make better business decisions and ultimately make more
money. Research
shows that inclusive teams make better business decisions, and that teams with less diversity are more likely to make poor choices
for their companies..”
“Gender equity can lead to a greater sense of belonging for women, who in turn will be greatly motivated to perform optimally”
“Positively impacts culture, thought leadership, and adds stability and builds open culture”
“With people well aware and investing in tech skills, it is important to dwell on building soft skills and Emotional intelligence. Women
leaders and peers can bring in that aspect and address tough challenges with a calm mindset.”
Positives of Gender Equality
IIM Ahmedabad
Voice of employees
Research by

23. Gender Executive sponsorship Flexible work
hours Inclusive work culture More women at senior
levels
Female 7 7 25 29
Male 2 1 21 9
Industry Executive sponsorship Flexible work
hours Inclusive work culture
More women at senior
levels
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 3 3 16 13
Corporate Affairs 2 1 3 3
Media 1 1 1 4
PR/Integrated Comms 3 3 25 19
Title Executive sponsorship Flexible work
hours Inclusive work culture More women at senior
levels
HR Lead 1 0 3 2
Other 0 3 8 6
Owner/Founder/CXO 2 1 13 10
Team Lead 6 4 21 21
Function Executive sponsorship
Flexible work
hours Inclusive work culture More women at senior
levels
Brand/Corporate/Communication 4 0 23 24
Client servicing 3 6 16 10
Content/Design/Production 0 1 2 2
HR & Talent 2 1 5 3
Inclusive Culture will largely aid gender
equity.
Women are more keen on having more
women at senior levels.
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

24. Gender Very Safe Safe Unsafe Very Unsafe
Female 9 33 23 2
Male 9 18 7 0
Industry Very Safe Safe Unsafe Very Unsafe
Advertising/Marketing/Digital 7 17 9 2
Corporate Affairs 4 2 3 0
Media 1 2 4 0
PR/Integrated Comms 7 30 13 0
Title Very Safe Safe Unsafe Very Unsafe
HR Lead 2 0 4 0
Other 3 9 5 0
Owner/Founder/CXO 5 16 5 1
Team Lead 8 25 16 1
Function Very Safe Safe Unsafe Very Unsafe
Brand/Corporate Communication 7 31 12 0
Client servicing 8 17 8 2
Content/Design/Production 1 2 2 0
HR & Talent 2 1 7 0
1/3rd feel unsafe voicing opinions
online.
Mainly people from PR/integrated
coms, team leads, client servicing
and senior people feel its unsafe.
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

25. Gender Equity Goals
Equal opportunities, equal representation and equal leadership seem to be future goals of companies.
IIM Ahmedabad
Word Cloud
Research by

26. Gender Equity Goals themes
Gender Equity will bring in softer aspects like EQ, balanced work culture and diversity
leading to success.
IIM Ahmedabad
Research by

27. Equal distribution of leadership responsibilities, and opportunities to make women leaders are
important likewise males and women understand business better.
Equal opportunities, equal pay, merit-based reviews and growth.
To have equal representation but it's only inching forward. Real estate is largely male-dominated so
the change is slow.
Make no distinction based on gender. Recognise that women need to wear different hats and they
should be supported fairly.
More women at senior levels as per IHG standards.
Hire for competence and be consciously inclusive.
Balanced representation of both genders across all levels and most definitely leadership.
To lead from the forefront with respect to DE&I consistently across all levels, functions and
departments.
Performance is judged on the basis of professionalism and not gender.
Increase diversity hiring.
If competent enough then enough and more opportunities to upskill and move up the ladder.
IIM Ahmedabad
Company’s
main gender
equity goals
Voice of employees
Research by

28. Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Public Relations and Digital Marketing Council aims to be the
force for gender equality and opportunity for women within the communications industry. Its mission is to help
women in communications thrive within the industry and reach the highest level of leadership by providing them
with unique connections and content that educate, empower and inspire.
WICCI’S Public Relations and Digital Marketing Council is led by Kavita Lakhani, National President and Tarunjeet
Rattan, Vice President. The council comprises of senior women professionals, young women achievers from the
Corporate Communications , Public Relations, Digital Marketing industry.
The council members names in alphabetical order are: Arunima Singh, Barnali Das, Bishnupriya Narayan, Charu
Raizada, Cheryl D'Souza Waldiya, Divya Narayan, Manali Pilankar, Megha Shrimali, Mou Chakravorty, Namita
Ramani Sharma, Neha Mishra, Neha Singhvi, Pooja Trehan, Preeti Binoy, Priya Bendre and Radha Radhakrishnan.

29. +123-456-7890
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30. Mou Chakravorty
Council member, WICCI PR and Digital
Marketing Council
passionwithpr@gmail.com
chakravortym@deloitte.com
Akshaya Vijayalakshmi, PhD
Associate Professor, Marketing
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
akshaya@iima.ac.in
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