Almost half of job seekers in India (45 per cent) believe that the gender pay gap is more than 20 per cent according to a survey shared on Thursday. The main reasons people pointed out were maternity breaks and workplace bias. The survey done by Naukri across 80 industries found that more than half of the professionals (51 per cent) said maternity-related career breaks are the biggest reason women earn less than men. About 27 per cent felt that workplace bias i.e. the way women are treated or judged at work is also a major factor. This opinion was strongest in sectors like IT (56 per cent) pharma (55 per cent) and automobiles (53 per cent). Professionals with 5–10 years (54 per cent) and 10–15 years (53 per cent) of work experience said that career breaks hit women the hardest. Half of the people surveyed said IT has the widest gender pay gap. Aviation (57 per cent) and education (52 per cent) were also seen as industries with big pay gaps compared to real estate (21 per cent) FMCG (18 per cent) and banking (12 per cent). Interestingly more traditional sectors like Oil & Gas and Retail were seen in a better light when it came to fair pay. The survey showed that younger employees freshers and mid-level professionals see the gender pay gap as a major issue with IT being called out as the biggest problem area. Concerns were highest in tech hubs like Hyderabad (59 per cent) and Bengaluru (58 per cent). Senior employees also agreed that the gap is real. Almost half of those with 10-15 years (46 per cent) and over 15 years (47 per cent) of experience said women still earn at least 20 per cent less than men. When asked how the gap can be reduced most professionals said promotions should be based purely on performance. Many also supported bias-free hiring (27 per cent) and open transparent pay structures (21 per cent). In cities like Noida and Gurgaon the demand for pay transparency was especially strong. (With IANS inputs)