New Delhi — Nearly half of Indian jobseekers (45 per cent) believe the gender pay gap in the country exceeds 20 per cent, with maternity-related career breaks and workplace bias emerging as the leading factors, according to a survey released on Thursday.
The Naukri survey, covering 80 industries, revealed that 51 per cent of professionals identified maternity breaks as the primary reason behind gender-based salary disparities. Meanwhile, 27 per cent pointed to workplace bias — particularly how women are perceived and evaluated at work.
The perception of gender pay inequity was strongest in the IT (56 per cent), pharmaceutical (55 per cent), and automobile (53 per cent) sectors. Professionals with 5–10 years (54 per cent) and 10–15 years (53 per cent) of experience reported feeling the most significant impact of career breaks.
Half of respondents flagged IT as the sector with the widest pay gap. Industries like aviation (57 per cent) and education (52 per cent) were also seen as having sharp disparities, while real estate (21 per cent), FMCG (18 per cent), and banking (12 per cent) ranked much lower. Traditional sectors such as Oil & Gas and Retail offered a comparatively positive outlook.
Younger professionals, including freshers and mid-level employees, were especially critical of IT’s pay practices. Technology hubs Hyderabad (59 per cent) and Bengaluru (58 per cent) topped the list of cities where concerns about IT pay gaps were most pronounced.
Senior professionals also reported sharp pay differences. Nearly half of respondents with 10–15 years (46 per cent) and over 15 years (47 per cent) of experience said the gap remains above 20 per cent.
Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that performance-driven promotions could help narrow the pay gap. Other widely supported measures included bias-free and transparent hiring (27 per cent) and fair pay practices (21 per cent), with calls for pay transparency particularly strong in corporate hubs like Noida and Gurgaon.
With inputs from IANS