For many women professionals in India, taking time off for motherhood still comes at a steep cost. A new survey shows that maternity breaks and workplace bias remain the biggest barriers to pay parity, with the IT sector topping the list for wage inequality.
According to job platform Naukri’s nationwide survey of over 20,000 job seekers across more than 80 industries and eight cities, nearly half of professionals (45%) are of the view that India’s gender pay gap remains above 20%. More than half (51%) identified maternity breaks as the single-biggest reason behind the gender pay gap in India, while 27% pointed to workplace bias as the primary cause. Importantly, both men and women share this view.
How did perception vary across the Industry?
This belief was strongest in the IT (56%), pharma (55%), and auto sectors (53%). The IT sector came in for sharp criticism, with half of all respondents flagging it as the industry with the widest pay disparity. This far outstripped other sectors such as real estate (21%), FMCG (18%), and banking (12%). Freshers and mid-level employees were most vocal about IT, while tech hubs like Hyderabad (59%) and Bengaluru (58%) registered the highest concerns.
Perceptions also varied by seniority. Nearly half of professionals with over 10 years of experience said the pay gap remains above 20%. Aviation (57%), education (52%), and IT (50%) were the industries where inequality was felt most acutely. In contrast, traditional sectors like oil & gas and retail reported a more optimistic outlook, with over a quarter of oil & gas professionals claiming the gap was negligible.
Possible solutions
On solutions, the survey revealed a strong preference for performance-based progression. Over a third of professionals (34%) favoured promotions and pay hikes tied strictly to merit, a figure that rose to 39% among senior professionals. Bias-free hiring practices (27%) and transparent salary structures (21%) also featured prominently, with calls for greater pay transparency.
The findings highlight that while the gender pay gap is recognised across industries and career levels, its contours differ by sector and region. Addressing career interruptions, uprooting bias, and adopting transparent, merit-driven policies will be key to narrowing the divide and fostering a more equitable workplace in India.