Women’s Professional Career and Culture: Software Organizations in India

Abstract

In this work, we conduct an investigation on perspectives and existing barriers for women trying to pursue a career in the Indian software industry. The study is focused on three dimensions: organizational policies and practices, workplace environment, and social-familial factors. Another goal is to compare the perception of male and female software professionals concerning the impact of these dimensions on the careers of female software professionals. The study reveals that formally organizations provide gender-neutral policies, and currently the emphasis needs to be placed on their implementation. It has been observed that, on the whole, there is a favorable work environment and unbiased attitude toward female software employees. At the same time, we conclude that, despite significant progress, hurdles - mainly coming from the society and family traditions—still exist restraining flourishing careers of women in the software sector.