Traditionally, the Indian civil services have been a male bastion. Back in the 1950s, when the first woman IAS officer was appointed, a woman could be disqualified from service for getting married. Seven decades later, 1 out of 5 secretaries serving in the Government of India is a woman. From corporate to economic affairs, health to legal affairs--women officers are at the helm in several central ministries. At the level of recruitment, in the last few years, 27-30 percent of those who qualify for the civil services have been women.
