The silent exclusion

"I was dumbfounded. It felt like all my struggle, knowledge, and expertise had been erased. No matter how much I tried to say, 'Hey, I'm here — hear me out,' they just wouldn't. It was as if I spoke apples, and they heard oranges."

- SAUMYA SINDHWANI SUDIPTA SHAW Assistant professor of organisational behaviour (practice), and research associate, Indian School of Business

ER STORY ISN'T unique. Across interviews with 104 women leaders and entrepreneurs, nearly all described being overlooked — often in the very rooms where they were supposed to have a voice. But by the time they walked into those meetings, the real decisions had already been made elsewhere. Nearly 87% of our interviewees recalled decisions being handed to them, wondering, "When was this discussed? Where was I?" Their voices weren't just overlooked inside the room; they were excluded long before the conversations began. Women entrepreneurs working alongside their better halves, male co-founders, or extended male family echoed similar experiences.

No coincidence This isn't a coincidence but a system. A quiet, informal network that operates outside official meetings, where men build alliances over Friday evening beers, cricket match screenings, or casual WhatsApp groups where key decisions take shape. A space where women are rarely invited or truly included.

This invisibility isn't just frustrating, it comes with a price tag. Women left out of these informal power circles miss critical career opportunities, from salary hikes to leadership roles. Many interviewees spoke about the financial cost of exclusion — promotions and deals happening in closed rooms or WhatsApp groups they weren't in.