Bridging the Gender Gap in Finance: How Public-Private Partnerships Are Empowering Women

While more women are entering the finance sector today, the journey toward gender equality is far from over. Many women still face obstacles in climbing the corporate ladder, often due to limited access to upskilling, mentorship, and leadership opportunities. One major reason is the dual role many women play — managing demanding careers while also caring for children and handling household responsibilities. This can make it harder to invest time in professional growth, leading to a persistent gap.

This is where public-private partnerships (PPPs) can make a real difference.

Initiatives like NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform, in collaboration with companies like Cisco and Google, provide flexible digital learning and mentorship for women professionals. In 2023, a former acquaintance rejoined the corporate world after a 5-year break through JP Morgan’s ReEntry Program. With structured mentorship and real project assignments, she transitioned into a permanent role within a year — proof that thoughtfully designed PPPs can deliver real results. These programs succeed because they go beyond technical learning. They focus on confidence-building, soft skills, networking, and flexible formats, making them accessible for women across life stages.

However, the challenge now is sustainability and integration. These efforts must be linked to actual hiring, promotions, and leadership pipelines with constant learning and growing. It should not be treated as one-off CSR activities with check box exercise.

As an internal audit professional, I believe we must move from intention to see and empower the women workforce with measurable actions. Closing the gender gap isn’t just about creating new opportunities — it’s about removing the structural barriers that prevent women from seizing them.

Details of the Writer:

Ashima Bhatia
IA auditor manager
Studyin