Women in Sales

Our February 2026 Fraternitea was a panel discussion with inspiring leaders across industries on the topic - Women in Sales. The panellists, four accomplished sales leaders, shared their journeys, lessons, and insights on creating greater gender parity in sales for the benefit of organisations and the women who power them.

The discussion began with the broader context: women remain significantly underrepresented in sales roles globally. In India, the number mentioned was around 19% representation, which reflects how male-dominated the function still is. At the same time, several panelists pointed out that women often bring qualities that are particularly powerful in sales — empathy, preparation, listening ability, and a perspective that represents half the consumer base.

A lot of the stories shared were the ones we keep hearing from women in field sales: basic infrastructure issues like not having clean bathrooms at sites, awkward moments around dealing with periods in male-dominated environments, or navigating evening stakeholder calls where safety or family expectations become factors. These are not always dramatic barriers, but they add up over time.

Another underlying theme was that women often feel they have to prove themselves more than their male counterparts, and that their performance is sometimes judged relative to men rather than on their own strengths.

Where women tend to drop off

One of the insights that stood out was about career drop-off points for women in sales.

Two stages tend to matter: marriage and motherhood, with motherhood being the much larger drop-off point.

One story shared was about returning to work after maternity leave. In that case, the organisation had already guaranteed a promotion before the person went on leave. Knowing that the next step in the career was waiting made a huge difference — it became something to look forward to when returning. It was described almost as the “carrot” that brought her back from maternity leave instead of the company losing her at that stage.

The takeaway was simple but powerful: if organisations genuinely want women to come back after maternity breaks, they need to give them a visible future to return to.

Everyday challenges women face in sales

Some of the challenges discussed were structural; others were behavioural or cultural.

Infrastructure issues came up repeatedly — things as basic as bathrooms or facilities not designed with women in mind.

There were also the more subtle dynamics of working in male-dominated teams. For example, women sometimes allow others to step in and close deals that they themselves have progressed significantly. When that happens, the credit gets shared or shifts elsewhere.

The advice here was straightforward: don’t allow your contribution to become invisible. If you moved the deal forward, own that role.

Sales itself is also an emotionally volatile profession. There are constant ups and downs — wins, losses, targets, rejection. That emotional rhythm can be particularly hard to manage without a strong support system.

What helps women succeed in sales

A few ideas came up repeatedly during the discussion.

One was preparation. Sales is unpredictable, but preparation builds confidence and helps you handle whatever comes your way.

Another was self-awareness. One panelist reflected that she wished she had developed more self-awareness earlier in her career. Understanding your strengths, style, and triggers helps you navigate sales environments much more effectively.

Mentorship also came up several times. Women benefit enormously from having people they can reach out to — not just one mentor but a network of people who support them professionally and personally.

There was also a very practical piece of advice: learn to ask for help shamelessly. Many people hesitate to ask, but reaching out — whether to colleagues, mentors, or family — often makes difficult periods manageable.

And because sales has so many highs and lows, it helps to have people who celebrate wins with you and also catch you when things don’t go well.

The role of managers and organisations

Several ideas emerged around what organisations and managers can do differently.

First, listening spaces matter. Managers need to create environments where women feel comfortable speaking about challenges without feeling judged or dismissed.

Second, make good performance visible. If women’s contributions are not actively highlighted, they can easily be overlooked in competitive sales environments.

At the middle-management level, support groups can be surprisingly powerful. One example mentioned was informal “mothers’ groups.” These give women a space to talk openly about the realities of balancing work and parenting. Sometimes just having that space to share experiences is a huge relief.

Another important moment is the transition around maternity leave. Managers should ideally have conversations before someone goes on leave about what their return might look like. And when they come back, instead of generic policies, individualised return plans can make a big difference.

Personal coaching during life transitions was also mentioned as something that can help women regain confidence and clarity.

The importance of role models and allies

One of the interesting perspectives came from a male panelist who shared that his first sales manager early in his career was a woman. Being mentored by her gave him first-hand exposure to how effective women can be in sales leadership roles. That experience shaped his view of women in sales for the rest of his career.

It sparked an interesting idea: organisations could actively surface stories like this — asking people to share what it has meant to work under a woman leader and how that shaped their learning or perspective.