Bridging the Gap: Assessing Gender-Inclusive Policies in India’s Insurance Industry

Globally, organisations realise the necessity to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives if they wish to remain competitive in a fast-paced and evolving business environment. One of the key elements of diversity is gender diversity—the adequate representation of women at all organisational levels. Women continue to face challenges in their careers that hinder their progress. However, mere acceptance of this need cannot be enough unless organisations make concerted efforts to dismantle the deeply embedded gender biases. To this end, organisations need to adopt robust policy measures that can help revamp the existing organisational culture and inculcate the DEI principles into their structures. This study is an attempt to determine the extent to which companies in India’s insurance sector have adopted gender-inclusive policies to foster diverse and equitable workplace environments. A Google form was administered to 566 individuals working in this sector to collect data on 17 gender-based policy initiatives. The findings reveal a mixed approach gender diversity in the Indian insurance sector, with significant progress at the top level but notable gaps at mid-management and grassroots levels. The study thus highlights the urgent need for corporations in this sector to move from mere tokenistic diversity initiatives to more comprehensive and far-reaching changes that focus on the unique challenges women face and help dismantle them.