The gender diversification movement in the workplace has gained added momentum in the last couple of years. However, most of the conversations are still taking place in boardrooms and at desks. What is often overlooked is the conversation about gender diversity in spaces that are just as critical—labs, manufacturing facilities, and operational leadership. These work experiences lie at the base of industries such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and life sciences and provide limited opportunities to support inclusion at a structural level.

However, for many women, entering and thriving in these spaces continues to be a complex journey.

Beyond Corporate Corridors

It seems women have historically been underrepresented in scientific and industrial fields compared to corporate roles. Although more women are now taking on positions in research and development and manufacturing, they often face tough challenges like feeling isolated, dealing with cultural biases, and lacking mentors who can guide them.

Operational jobs frequently involve strict ways of working, environments where men are the majority, and physical setups that might not be welcoming to everyone. Even now, many labs and plant spaces critical to sectors like pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and healthcare were not built with gender diversity in mind. The result is often environments that are logistically and ergonomically inhospitable to women, from ill-fitting safety gear to a lack of sanitary infrastructure, from rigid shift hours to the absence of proper childcare support.

This design gap has real consequences. In the pharmaceutical industry, for example, women comprise only 11% of the total workforce in India, as cited in a Mercer India report. The representation of women is even lower in the manufacturing sector, at only 12%. These numbers are profound—not in terms of women’s competency, but rather the systematic barriers that still exist for women.

The Silent Drop-Off

While recruitment at the entry level is improving, the progression of women into mid-level management and leadership remains alarmingly slow. The McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2025 report identifies the “broken rung” as a critical failure point: in India, women are 1.3 times more likely to leave the workforce at the entry-to-manager transition, while men are 2.4 times more likely to be promoted at that same juncture.

This isn’t simply about access to promotions. It’s about cumulative disadvantage—fewer women in technical leadership means fewer mentors, less advocacy, and reduced visibility in high-impact projects. Over time, this widens the gap between potential and opportunity.

The Quality Perspective: Inclusion Enhances Operational Integrity

Gender-inclusive workplaces in manufacturing and allied sectors go beyond equity—they directly enhance business performance. As per the International Labour Organisation (ILO), businesses that have introduced gender diversity programs have seen enhanced staff retention, improved safety records, and higher innovation levels. Asian companies that promoted women to technical and supervisory levels reported quantifiable productivity and work environment improvements. Gender-diverse teams are also better at spotting inefficiencies and creating collaborative problem-solving. These findings validate that inclusion is not only an HR tool but also a quality, efficiency, and resilience lever for precision-driven industries such as pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

Yet, few organisations make the link between inclusion and quality explicit. When women are involved in every stage of the production lifecycle—from formulation to testing, from QA to packaging—the system becomes more robust. Diverse perspectives identify blind spots. Inclusive leadership promotes more thorough risk assessments. In short, the quality of both product and process improves when the system is built to include.

Leadership Isn’t Just the Destination

Many women who make it into leadership roles in science-driven industries often do so through a mix of perseverance and self-navigation. They recount how they had to constantly assert their technical credibility and balance demanding personal responsibilities without institutional support. Despite their achievements, they remain outliers—symbols of success, but also reminders of how difficult the climb can be.

Yet, these women are not just reaching the top; they are reshaping it. By advocating for more inclusive policies, mentoring other women, and championing flexible work models, they are changing how leadership is defined. They’re shifting the focus from authority to empathy, from tradition to transformation. These leaders bring a different lens to problem-solving, team dynamics, and quality management. They are more likely to advocate for flexible systems, empathetic policies, and holistic performance frameworks.

Nevertheless, no organisation can depend on individual resilience alone. They need to systematically encourage and reward non-traditional leadership styles. Under traditional industrial leadership, authority often has a direct relationship with control; in inclusive leadership, authority comes from clarity, communication, and care—behaviours that move from adherence to compliance, safer processes, and better morale.

Towards Structural and Cultural Reform

Sustainable change requires more than policy—it demands culture. And cultures are shaped by what is valued, what is funded, and what is measured. To fully enable women in the laboratory, on the shop floor, and in technical leadership, organisations need to invest in reimagining culture and infrastructure for inclusion. That means flexible models of shifting, effective grievance redressal mechanisms, gender-responsive facility design, and career acceleration programs that not only exist but function.

Working towards inclusion also means holding space for women to lead authentically. Too often, leadership still comes with the expectation of conforming to outdated models. But inclusion, in its fullest sense, is about broadening the definition of leadership itself to accommodate different voices, styles, and strengths.

Also read: Open-Source AI Needs Domain-Deep Talent: Why India Must Lead in Healthcare-Specific AI Upskilling

The Path Forward

Progress will not come from intent alone—it requires consistent, structural change.

The future of work in industries like pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and life sciences will depend not just on innovation and scale, but on resilience and adaptability. Addressing gender diversity in labs, plants, and operational leadership is not a side issue—it’s central to building resilient, forward-looking companies. Because when women thrive in these spaces, the ripple effects extend far beyond individual careers. Innovation becomes more inclusive, leadership more empathetic, and success more sustainable.

Building gender diversity beyond the desk is not about political correctness. It is about building systems that work better—for everyone. Because true operational excellence doesn’t happen despite inclusion, it happens because of it.

Views expressed by: Arushi Jain, Director, Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or views of any organisation. The content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice.

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