Mahindra Swaraj's multi-pronged strategy to bring inclusivity on shop floor
For decades, the roar of machines in India's manufacturing facilities has largely echoed male dominance. But deep inside Punjab's industrial belt, a quiet but determined revolution is taking shape on the shopfloor of Mahindra & Mahindra's Swaraj Division and Swaraj Engines Limited.
A recent case study by The Udaiti Foundation, in collaboration with the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA), reveals a remarkable shift: women now make up over 10per cent of the shopfloor workforce, up from a meagre 1.5per cent in 2013. That's a 13-fold increase in just over a decade—from 48 women in FY13 to 736 in FY24 with an aim to keep increasing the numbers.
This transformation wasn't accidental. Mahindra implemented a multi-pronged strategy to make its shopfloors more inclusive and supportive. This included customised ergonomics, women-centric safety protocols like pad vending machines and women security guards, targeted skill-building programs, and community engagement to address deep-rooted social biases.
The company even categorised its shopfloor zones by physical difficulty to ease women's entry into heavier roles. Departments traditionally seen as off-limits—such as the foundry—now employ women. 32 women currently work in this high-physical-demand zone, a symbol of the cultural and structural shifts underway.
Beyond numbers: A blueprint for inclusive growth
The study reveals other key insights:
-90per cent of women employees are migrants from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh—highlighting the geographic and social leap these women are making.
-Attrition among contractual women workers (6per cent ) is significantly higher than permanent ones (1per cent ), indicating job security and long-term prospects remain challenges.
-The gender pay gap is marginal (1.74per cent ), primarily due to shorter average tenure (6 years for women vs. 9 years for men).
-Only 400 women are enrolled in technical trades across 49 women-only ITIs in Punjab. Regulatory restrictions and family resistance make night shifts difficult, despite growing demand for 24/7 operations.
-The company has built partnerships with 15 ITIs, 5 polytechnics, and women-only institutions, and even engages with parents through counselling sessions to break the stigma around
women in manufacturing
.
An inclusive future for Indian manufacturing
With India targeting to grow its manufacturing share of GDP from 16per cent to 25per cent by 2047, tapping into its underutilized female workforce is not just socially imperative—it's economically strategic.
Mahindra's journey proves that inclusive manufacturing isn't a utopian ideal—it's a replicable reality. The 3G + 1S framework (Gender, Geography, Generation + Specially-abled) is more than a DEI checklist; it's an actionable roadmap.
As India celebrates Labour Day this year, this story stands as a timely reminder: true progress in manufacturing won't come from machines alone, but from the minds and hands we empower to run them.
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