“There were times when my inputs were double checked with male colleagues, even though I was leading the team. It made me wonder if I was even being heard,” says Sheethal TS, 32, a junior manager at Gram Vikas.

For Jagrity Sharan, a development sector professional, the challenge unfolded in more subtle ways. “It was about getting the right opportunity at the right time. When that does not happen, you begin to question your own journey,” she shares.

Their words carry the weight of lived experience. They are not dramatic moments, but everyday realities that influence how women move through workplaces. Across India’s social impact sector, many women begin their careers with intent and commitment, but their journeys towards leadership often take longer, with more turns along the way.

It is within this space that Anchal Kakkar began asking difficult questions and eventually, building answers.

A career that found its way to purpose

Anchal did not begin her journey in the development sector. Like many young professionals, she started in the corporate world, working in statutory audit at PwC in 2007. The work was structured, demanding, and gave her a strong foundation in finance and systems.

However, over time, she felt drawn towards something more meaningful.

“I realised quite early that I wanted to work in the impact ecosystem,” she says. “I wanted to be closer to work that directly affects people’s lives.”

This led her to pursue an MBA at Saïd Business School, Oxford, a decision she made consciously to move closer to the social sector. The programme gave her exposure to ideas and approaches that connected business thinking with social challenges.

After her MBA, she worked with Dasra and later with the Boston Consulting Group, where she was part of a project studying the future of jobs. These experiences brought her into closer contact with organisations working on the ground and those shaping broader strategies.

“Those years helped me understand how organisations function and where they struggle. And one of the recurring themes was around talent,” she explains.

Seeing what was not immediately visible

In 2016, she co-founded Arthan, focusing on talent and leadership in the social impact space. Through this work, she began to see patterns that were not always obvious at first glance.

“At the entry level, you see a lot of women joining organisations,” she tells The Better India. “But as you move up to middle management and then leadership, the numbers become smaller.”

It was not a sudden drop, but a gradual thinning. Women stepped away at different stages, sometimes due to caregiving responsibilities, sometimes due to limited opportunities, and sometimes because the systems around them did not always support their growth in the way they needed.

“The structure of work has been shaped over time in a certain way. For........

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