Bengaluru tops India's gender-inclusive cities index, while north India struggles with social inclusion: Report

Bengaluru has emerged as the most gender-inclusive city in India, securing the top spot in the third edition of the ‘Top Cities for Women in India (TCWI)’ index released by Avtar Group, a pioneer in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) solutions.

The report highlights Bengaluru as the most inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable city for working women, excelling in areas such as skilling, employment opportunities, infrastructure, and caregiving support, PTI reported.

Speaking at the launch event, Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder-President of Avtar Group, emphasized the importance of gender-inclusive cities in shaping opportunities for women. “Cities are the foundations of opportunity. They shape how women live, work, and thrive. To realize our dream of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, we need Indian women professionals to succeed on par with men. This can only happen if cities provide an environment where women’s strengths are optimized,” she said.

The TCWI index uses a data-driven approach, evaluating cities based on three key metrics like Social Inclusion Score (SIS), Industrial Inclusion Score (IIS), and Citizen Experience Score (CES). These metrics encompass factors like city livability, safety, employment representation, women’s empowerment, organizational inclusivity, skilling, caregiving support, transport infrastructure, and quality of life. Bengaluru scored high across all these parameters, particularly excelling in skilling and employment for women, as well as infrastructure development.

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Top 10 rankings

The top 10 cities in the 2024 rankings include Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Gurugram, and Coimbatore. Bengaluru’s dominance is complemented by other southern cities, with the South emerging as the most gender-inclusive region overall. The region scored an average City Inclusion Score (CIS) of 18.56, outperforming the West (16.92), North (14.00), Central (11.79), and East (10.55).

Kerala emerged as the most gender-inclusive state with an average CIS of 20.89, followed by Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Among smaller cities, Coimbatore and Kochi stood out, excelling in infrastructure and quality of life.

The study, conducted from February to November 2024, gathered data from 1672 women across 60 cities. It also utilized information from the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE), World Bank, crime records, and Periodic Labour Force Survey.

Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad also performed well in specific categories. Hyderabad ranked highest for infrastructure due to its robust public transport and travel amenities, while Mumbai stood out in skilling and employment for women. Thiruvananthapuram excelled in governance efficiency and safety, scoring the highest in these categories.

Despite high industrial inclusion scores, northern cities like Delhi and Gurugram showed room for improvement in social inclusion. Gurugram, for instance, received the highest rating for skilling and employment (7.68 out of 10) but lagged behind in safety and environmental challenges, impacting its quality of life score.

Dr. Rajesh stressed the need for cities to go beyond reparatory measures such as safety and affordable living and instead focus on creating competitive avenues for women’s economic success. “Let’s invest in women-led projects and optimize women’s lives and careers,” she urged.

Avtar’s report also underscores the importance of organizations, policymakers, and individuals working collaboratively to create cities that foster well-rounded development and inclusivity. The TCWI index serves as a framework to identify best practices and role model cities, paving the way for women’s progress nationwide.

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(With PTI inputs)