Hiring Women in Tech in India: How EORs Help with Inclusive Employment

India’s tech ecosystem is booming and so is the drive to make it more inclusive. With millions of skilled female professionals graduating each year from STEM disciplines, the opportunity to build diverse teams has never been more promising. However, many global companies still struggle to hire and retain women in tech roles from India due to compliance barriers, local legal challenges, and lack of on-the-ground HR support.

That’s where Employer of Record (EOR) services come in.

An EOR like DevX simplifies international hiring by handling everything from onboarding to payroll to compliance. But beyond administrative convenience, EORs can also help companies build more inclusive teams—especially when it comes to hiring women in India’s tech sector.

Let’s explore the challenges, opportunities, and how EOR solutions are enabling global businesses to bring more Indian women into the tech workforce.

The State of Women in Tech in India

India has one of the largest pools of women STEM graduates in the world. According to recent data, more than 40 percent of STEM graduates in India are women. However, only a small percentage end up in the tech workforce, and even fewer stay long term.

Some of the reasons for this include:

• Gender bias during hiring
• Lack of flexible work environments
• Limited maternity or family leave options
• Inconsistent support for remote or hybrid roles
• Pay inequality and benefits disparity

Even when companies want to change this status quo, navigating Indian labor laws and offering fair and equitable employment practices can be difficult without a physical presence in the country.

How EOR Help Create Inclusive Hiring Pipelines

EOR remove the red tape from international hiring and give global companies a faster, compliant, and cost-effective way to hire top talent from India—without having to set up a local entity. But beyond simplifying hiring logistics, EOR can help build more equitable and inclusive hiring pipelines for women in tech.

Here’s how:

1. Faster Access to a Diverse Talent Pool

With the help of local hiring partners, EORs can source top women developers, UI/UX designers, DevOps engineers, QA testers, and data scientists from across India.

Instead of only hiring from major cities like Bangalore or Hyderabad, EORs help companies reach skilled professionals in smaller cities and tier-2 regions where women may have fewer in-office opportunities but are eager to work remotely for global companies.

This allows you to build a more diverse team while staying cost-efficient.

2. Remote-First Hiring That Works for Women

Many women in India prefer remote work due to safety concerns, family responsibilities, or geographical limitations. Unfortunately, local employers are not always equipped to support a fully remote work model.

An EOR like DevX offers companies a compliant and scalable way to hire remote Indian employees without needing a local branch office. From issuing legal contracts to managing payroll and tax obligations, everything is handled within the legal framework of Indian employment law.

This ensures your remote women hires have the same security, structure, and benefits as full-time employees—without the gig or contractor loopholes that leave them unprotected.

3. Compliance with Maternity and Equal Pay Laws

India has some of the most progressive maternity leave laws in the world—offering up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave under certain conditions. However, compliance can be complex and varies across states and industries.

A professional EOR takes full responsibility for meeting all labor laws, including:

• Maternity and parental leave entitlements
• Equal pay regulations
• Anti-discrimination laws
• Sexual harassment prevention requirements
• Paid holiday and leave benefits

By working with an EOR, you can offer women in India not just a job—but a career with long-term security, fair treatment, and full legal protection.

4. Localized Benefits That Support Work-Life Balance

Offering women in tech the right benefits is just as important as providing a competitive salary.

EORs help global companies create benefits packages that are aligned with Indian expectations and legal requirements. This may include:

• Health insurance
• Family health coverage
• Flexi-time and work-from-home options
• Paid vacation and sick leave
• Training and upskilling programs
• Access to wellness and counseling support

By aligning benefits with what matters most to working women, companies can significantly increase retention and long-term engagement.

5. Reducing Attrition Through Structured HR Support

One of the biggest challenges in hiring remote women employees is ensuring they feel supported and connected.

DevX and other top-tier EORs offer local HR services that make onboarding and employee engagement seamless. This includes:

• Onboarding assistance
• HR helpdesk for day-to-day questions
• Performance tracking support
• Conflict resolution
• Exit formalities if needed

With the right structure in place, women working remotely from India are more likely to stay, grow, and thrive within your company.

Real-World Use Case: How Global Startups Use EORs to Build Inclusive Teams in India

Many US and UK startups want to tap into India’s deep tech talent pool but are unsure where to begin. Setting up a local office can be expensive, time-consuming, and legally complex.

EORs provide an instant solution.

For example, a SaaS startup in the UK can use DevX to hire a remote team of five female front-end developers from Pune, Chennai, and Kochi—all without registering a business in India. DevX handles everything from employment contracts and payroll to local labor law compliance. The result? A diverse, engaged team with full legal protections.

This approach not only speeds up hiring but also helps companies meet their diversity and inclusion goals without taking unnecessary legal risks.

Final Thoughts: Inclusivity Is a Strategy, Not a Slogan

Hiring women in tech in India is not just about social responsibility, it’s also a strategic advantage. Diverse teams build better products, understand global markets more effectively, and outperform competitors on innovation and problem-solving.

By partnering with an Employer of Record like DevX, you make it easier, safer, and faster to bring women into your global workforce especially in highly competitive technical roles. You avoid the common legal, HR, and compliance barriers that often discourage remote hiring in emerging markets.

Whether you’re scaling your first remote team or expanding across new regions, inclusive hiring in India is within reach with the right EOR support.