Athira Sethu
Kochi, 9 January 2025
Bengaluru is ranked as India’s number one city for women, ahead of Chennai, the 2024 edition of ‘Top Cities for Women in India’ (TCWI) report from The Avtar Group has reported. The Avtar Group measures cities on criteria such as safety, inclusion, and opportunities for women. The Avtar Group, a workplace consulting firm, created the TCWI index to highlight cities with best practices for women’s growth, helping organizations, policymakers, and individuals promote women’s development nationwide.
The TCWI index is based on data from a source such as the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE), World Bank, and crime records/surveys. A nationwide survey conducted between February and November 2024 of 1,672 women respondents from 60 cities in India. A total of 120 cities were studied for the paper.
Bengaluru jumped from the second position in 2023 to become the number 1 city for women in 2024, followed by Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune. Cities are ranked based on their overall ‘City Inclusion Score,’ which combines three factors: Social Inclusion, Industrial Inclusion, and Citizen Experience.
Cities from Tamil Nadu are in an overwhelming majority among the top 25 cities in the index. The top three include Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai. Tamil Nadu, as well as Karnataka and Kerala, emerge as the most inclusive region of India, with a maximum average City Inclusion Score. It was followed by the West. In comparison, Central and Eastern regions were on lower side.
The Avtar Group Founder-President, Saundarya Rajesh, emphasizes the importance of gender-inclusive cities for the success of Indian women professionals. She says for India to be a developed nation by 2047, it should not only make cities safe for women but also provide access to healthcare and education, in addition to avenues for economic success and leadership positions.
