Gender inclusion in India’s mining sector: A comparative analysis of female workforce representation in Coal India Limited and Tata Steel

Abstract

Women's participation in mining has historically remained limited due to occupational segregation, institutional constraints, workplace conditions, and gender-related barriers. This study examines female workforce representation in Coal India Limited (CIL) and Tata Steel over ten financial years, from 2015–16 to 2024–25. Secondary data from the annual reports of both organisations were used, with female workforce representation measured as the percentage of women in the reported workforce. Descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-test, Shapiro–Wilk test, exact Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and linear regression were employed. Mean female representation was 7.58% in CIL and 7.14% in Tata Steel. The paired t-test showed no statistically significant difference at the 5% level, t(9) = 2.053, p = .070, whereas the exact Wilcoxon test indicated a significant difference (p = .049). Both organisations showed significant positive trends, with representation increasing by 0.248 percentage points annually in CIL and 0.415 percentage points in Tata Steel. The difference between the organisations also declined significantly over time, by 0.167 percentage points annually (p = .014). Overall, female representation increased in both organisations, although the comparative results should be interpreted cautiously given the ten annual observations.