Bengaluru emerges ‘India’s best city for working women’; survey credits city’s opportunities, inclusivity, infra

• Skilling and employment opportunities: Bengaluru scored 7.54, only slightly behind Mumbai (7.60) and Gurgaon (7.68). Women professionals acknowledged the city’s vibrant job market, particularly in technology, startups and innovation sectors.

• Infrastructure: Bengaluru scored 7.52 for infrastructure, driven by its growing public transport system and the rise of co-working spaces that cater to women. Meanwhile, Hyderabad topped the infrastructure ranking with a score of 8.01, thanks to its well-connected public transport and travel amenities. Mumbai (7.64) also scored high. Coimbatore (7.75) and Kochi (7.41) were top among smaller cities.

• Caregiving support: The city has seen an increase in childcare facilities, parental leave policies and flexible work arrangements, enabling women to balance work and family responsibilities.

• Safety: Despite its top ranking, the survey highlights areas where Bengaluru can improve, particularly in safety, where the city scored 6.17, lower than Mumbai (7.19) and Thiruvananthapuram (7.43). The women surveyed expressed concerns about public safety at night and the need for better-lit streets and enhanced police presence in certain areas.

• Governance: Thiruvananthapuram (8.15) and Pune (7.06) received top scores for effective governance. However, Gurgaon (6.48) lagged due to inefficiencies in administrative processes.

• Quality of life: The report also showed that Coimbatore (7.54), Pune (7.50) and Chennai (7.05) emerged as the cities offering the best quality of life. Environmental challenges pushed Gurgaon to a lower score of 6.34.

The southern part of the country emerged as the most inclusive region, as per the survey, scoring comparatively higher in both social and industrial inclusion. The average city inclusion score of the South is 18.56. It is followed by the West (16.92). The Central and East regions lag, with averages of 11.79 and 10.55, respectively as a result of limited industrial development and opportunities.

The average city inclusion score of the North is 14.00. It is worth noting that while the industrial inclusion scores of northern cities like Delhi and Gurgaon are high, there is scope for improvement in their social inclusion scores.

Dr Saundarya Rajesh, founder-president of Avtar Group, said that cities, being the foundations of opportunity, shape how women live, work, and thrive. “So, a clear understanding of the core principles and cultural fabric of our cities is crucial for advancing women’s progress and inclusion. Avtar’s annual index ‘Top Cities for Women in India” does precisely that, using a data-centric and evidence-based approach,” she explained.

“To realise our dream of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, we need the Indian women professionals to succeed on par with men. This is possible only if cities are truly gender-inclusive and offer an atmosphere where women’s strengths can be optimised,” she added.

This, Dr Rajesh said, entails not only providing safe streets, accessible healthcare and education and affordable living to women, “but also competitive avenues for women’s economic success and opportunities for them to thrive as business leaders. Let’s invest in women-led projects and optimize women’s lives and careers.”