BENGALURU: Bengaluru has claimed the top spot, surpassing Chennai, as India’s best city for working women in 2024, providing an inclusive, secure and adaptable environment for women professionals, according to a survey.
While Mumbai was ranked third and Delhi eight, South India demonstrated the highest level of gender inclusivity, with 16 cities from the region making it to the list of top 25 in the ‘Top Cities for Women in India‘ (TCWI) survey by workplace culture consulting firm Avtar Group.
What also tilted the scales in favour of Bengaluru were higher scores in areas of women’s skill development, employment opportunities, infrastructure facilities, and support for caregiving. Mumbai and Bengaluru scored highest, reflecting robust job markets and availability of skilling opportunities, whereas Chennai and Hyderabad lagged slightly behind.
In terms of safety parameters, Mumbai and Hyderabad rank at the top. In the emerging smaller urban centres group, Thiruvananthapuram exhibited exemplary safety standards with a high rating, while Gurugram registered the lowest rating.
Among the metros, Hyderabad and Bengaluru demonstrated superior caregiving infrastructure, whilst Gurugram and Coimbatore stand out for their exceptional support systems for dependents. Hyderabad emerged as the frontrunner with the highest infrastructure rating among major metropolitan areas, with Mumbai securing the second position, both offering robust transport networks and civic facilities.
The 2024 City Inclusion Score (CIS) assessment evaluated selected Indian cities based on their gender inclusivity and equitable environment. The study analysed 120 cities, measuring their potential to foster inclusive environments for women.
The evaluation framework comprised two primary components – the social inclusion score (SIS) consolidated four key parameters — city liveability, safety metrics, employment representation of women, and women’s empowerment initiatives. The assessment utilised official data from various govt sources, including the national Ease of Living report, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics, Periodic Labour Force Survey (2023-2024), Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), and additional higher education parameters. The Industrial inclusion score (IIS) assessed the business environment’s inclusivity towards women across different sectors. This component evaluated three crucial factors: organisations practising inclusion, industry-wide inclusivity measures, and career advancement facilitators.
