Women left out of the $215 billion Indian logistics boom

The Udaiti Foundation, in collaboration with the CII Centre for Women Leadership, unveiled the SheMoves Logistics - Driving Diversity & Inclusion in Logistics Report and highlighted the state of women’s participation in NSE-listed logistics companies for FY 23-24 noting that only 44% of NSE-listed logistics companies have at least 1 woman in a key management positions (KMP). 

Deep-seated structural and cultural factors continue to influence women's participation in logistics: This manifests in challenges such as entrenched gender biases affecting hiring and promotion practices, the exclusion of women from informal networks, and infrastructural gaps like the lack of safe and gender-responsive workplace facilities, including basic amenities such as separate washrooms.

Women constitute 7% of the workforce in the NSE listed firms in the sector, showing a 1 percentage point increase over the last 4 years. Top performers include AllCargo Logistics (19%), TCI Express (13%), AllCargo Gati (13%), Container Corporation of India (12%), and Mahindra Logistics (11%​). 

Evidence shows that leadership diversity drives financial performance, but representational gaps persist: 44% of companies have at least one woman in key management positions (KMPs), and most firms have one woman on their Board of Directors (BoDs).

The report indicates that safety concerns remain a salient issue for women in the logistics sector, which may affect their participation - POSH related complaints in the sector increased by 37% between 22-23 and 23-24.

Data shows that 22% of companies provide daycare benefits to their employees - which could be an important factor in ensuring women have a higher return-to-work rate

Making an economic case for greater women’s representation: It has been found that female employees contributed to cost savings of up to 12% due to higher efficiency, better attendance, and improved order processing quality. Increasing women's representation in the warehouse workforce to 30% could reduce the average cost per worker by 3.6%, driven by their strong work ethic, quality of output, and higher retention rates.

Delhivery, for instance, has observed that the attrition of women is 6% lower than that of men, and the number of women workers with 100% attendance is 8% higher. 

Addressing these challenges, the report recommends implementing robust safety protocols, leveraging digitization and automation, and creating pathways for the recruitment, retention, and leadership development of women. For example, Delhivery is making infrastructural changes such as providing separate washrooms for women and having female HR executives in every shift. Mahindra Logistics has created more gender-inclusive shop floors through ergonomic redesign, targeted skilling, and community engagement initiatives like parental counselling and mentorship programs for women. 

The partnership & report were launched at CII’s annual “The Edge - Inclusion & Competitiveness Summit,”. The CII Centre for Women Leadership and The Udaiti Foundation aims to create a Gender Community of Practice within the Logistics Sector, bringing together companies, policymakers, and civil society to implement gender smart strategies at scale.

Furthermore, the two organisations announced a joint initiative [by the same name] to boost female representation within the sector, through a platform for knowledge-sharing, innovative solutions, and collective action to move from policy to practice.

“The logistics sector, valued at USD 215 billion and contributing 13–14% to India’s GDP, is set for rapid annual growth of ~10.5%, and major transformations driven by greater investments and policy shifts. At this juncture, it holds a unique opportunity to drive inclusive growth at scale, and serve as a replicable model for other sectors. We are proud to partner with The Udaiti Foundation, whose work has been a key lever in advancing women’s representation in corporate India and delivering measurable impact,” said Seema Arora, Deputy Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry. 

The SheMoves Logistics Report is a key output of Udaiti’s flagship Close the Gender Gap initiative, now in its fourth year. The quantitative insights are based on data from 18 NSE-listed logistics companies and Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reports (BRSR). Qualitative insights are drawn from in-depth interviews with other logistics companies besides the NSE listed companies.

Commenting on the launch of the report, Pooja Goyal, Founding CEO, The Udaiti Foundation, said: "The logistics sector is a vital engine of India’s economy, yet women make up just 7% of the workforce among NSE-listed firms. This sector’s growth offers a unique opportunity to integrate women at scale, and this report highlights systemic gaps and offers actionable strategies to achieve this. Through our partnership with CII Centre for Women Leadership, we aim to move from intent to sector-wide, sustained action."