MPW 2025: 'Never felt a barrier for women to rise, system is fair' - Top bureaucrats on breaking glass ceilings

The 2025 Business Today Most Powerful Women (MPW) summit kicked off its first session, "Beyond the Glass Ceiling," with an inspiring dialogue featuring trailblazing women in Indian public administration. These leaders shared insights on reshaping workplaces, balancing job pressures with family life, and setting bold leadership goals within government structures.

Vandita Kaul, Secretary of the Department of Posts, opened the conversation by emphasising the unique demands of government service. Addressing gender dynamics, Kaul contrasted government with the private sector, where women often lament high glass ceilings. "In my service, I never felt a barrier for women to rise, the system is fair," she asserted.

Kaul added: "See, my experience has been that in our time, when we were young in college, the glass ceiling was only in the beginning, and that was societal. The glass ceiling was so societal. In my servic,e I can say clearly I never felt that there was a barrier for women to rise and the system is fair. The only barrier, the difficult part, is how do you navigate your family life? If you are married, you have children, and you have more social responsibilities than men. In my batch, there were just 10%. So you had to work harder initially. I won't say harder than men. We are all equal in terms of abilities. But you have to prove yourself more in the beginning. Now I'm very comfortable in my own skin."

She added: "I don't have to prove anything to anybody. I've done my bit and I'm continuing to do it. So that's it, I would say there is no ceiling. There's no glass ceiling in government."

So where's the real challenge in a government setup? Kaul said it is balancing family and social responsibilities, which fall disproportionately on women.

Geeta Singh Rathore, DG of the National Sample Survey, addressed motivation in government administrative jobs, where accountability levels are perceived as much higher.

"See, outside motivation is not there. You have to motivate yourself," she said. "Your team motivates you and uh the work motivates you. The outcome of the work which is there. The policies or the lives we touch of the people—they are the great motivation for us."

Rathore highlighted her large team as key motivators. "They are my motivators and uh we discuss everything and uh we motivate each other," she added.

On glass ceilings, she echoed earlier sentiments: "I have also never faced any glass ceiling. In fact, I have received very great support from my seniors, my teammates and the institutions where I have worked."

She reinforced: "So, for motivation, you have to self-motivate. Nobody will come to motivate you, and even your work and the outcome which is there that motivates you."

Before that, Kaul also said: "The job structure teaches you a lot, but you must learn to navigate it without being restrained," she said. Kaul highlighted the rigorous two-year training civil servants undergo, urging newcomers not to assume they've "arrived" after clearing tough exams. Instead, continuous learning is key.

Drawing from the postal department's motto—"Dak Se Jan Se" (service to the people through mail)—she stressed remembering one's role as a public servant. "Know your business, understand competitors, and serve without forgetting the rules," Kaul advised. She noted that rules provide leeway for efficiency: assemble teams, communicate effectively, and deliver results without unnecessary delays.

Talking about hurdles such as family's role, bringing up children, and balancing job, Kaul said: "I think I have to give great credit one of course, to my parents because I think the value systems that you get, they keep you grounded in difficult times. That's I mean the core but after I got into a job within one year I got married and soon after I had a baby so in and I was in probation at that time we have two years training so at that time uh the kind of support I got from my entire family my in-laws I mean I never got comments on your coming in late but I did have colleagues who had comments coming from their families even though they knew this woman is in a full-time job it was resented. I nearly quit when my son was 7 months old because I was commuting 5 hours up and down, up and down 5 hours every day. I remember typing it out and I held it for about 15 days. And luckily, I got a posting closer to home. So whichever young woman comes to me worried, I'm very clear that this is first priority, let families be together."