Career breaks after children and workplace bias continue to be the biggest contributors to the gender pay gap, with IT emerging as the sector most affected, finds a new survey.
According to job platform Naukri's nationwide survey of over 20,000 jobseekers across more than 80 industries and eight cities, one in two 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. This belief was strongest in the IT (56%), pharma (55%) and auto sectors (53%).
The impact of career breaks was especially evident among professionals in the 5–10 years (54%) and 10–15 years (53%) experience brackets — life stages when maternity breaks are most common.
Half of all professionals surveyed (50%) flagged IT as the industry with the widest gender pay gap, far outpacing real estate (21%), FMCG (18%) and banking (12%). This perception was particularly strong among younger professionals, with 53% of freshers (1–2 years) and 55% of mid-level professionals (2–5 years) identifying IT as the biggest offender.
Geographically, India’s technology hubs — Hyderabad (59%) and Bengaluru (58%) — reported the highest concerns about IT pay inequities.
The survey found that senior professionals view the gender pay gap more starkly. Nearly half of respondents with 10–15 years (46%) and 15-plus years (47%) of experience said the gap remains above 20%. While sectors like aviation (57%), education (52%), and IT (50%) reflected sharper perceptions of inequality, traditional industries such as oil and gas and retail offered a more positive outlook. In oil and gas, more than one in four respondents said the gap was negligible (0–5%).
When asked how to bridge the gap, professionals overwhelmingly pointed to performance-led promotions. Over a third (34%) of respondents chose this as the most effective solution, with the number rising to 39% among those with 15-plus years of experience. Bias-free and transparent hiring (27%) and transparent pay practices (21%) were also widely endorsed, particularly in city clusters like Noida and Gurgaon, where calls for pay transparency were the strongest.
The survey findings underscore that while the gender pay gap is widely acknowledged across industries and career levels, the causes and solutions differ by region, sector, and gender. Career breaks and workplace bias remain central challenges, but systemic interventions — such as merit-driven progression, transparent hiring and pay practices, and supportive workplace policies — hold the key to building a more equitable future of work in India.
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According to job platform Naukri's nationwide survey of over 20,000 jobseekers across more than 80 industries and eight cities, one in two 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. This belief was strongest in the IT (56%), pharma (55%) and auto sectors (53%).
The impact of career breaks was especially evident among professionals in the 5–10 years (54%) and 10–15 years (53%) experience brackets — life stages when maternity breaks are most common.
Half of all professionals surveyed (50%) flagged IT as the industry with the widest gender pay gap, far outpacing real estate (21%), FMCG (18%) and banking (12%). This perception was particularly strong among younger professionals, with 53% of freshers (1–2 years) and 55% of mid-level professionals (2–5 years) identifying IT as the biggest offender.
Geographically, India’s technology hubs — Hyderabad (59%) and Bengaluru (58%) — reported the highest concerns about IT pay inequities.
The survey found that senior professionals view the gender pay gap more starkly. Nearly half of respondents with 10–15 years (46%) and 15-plus years (47%) of experience said the gap remains above 20%. While sectors like aviation (57%), education (52%), and IT (50%) reflected sharper perceptions of inequality, traditional industries such as oil and gas and retail offered a more positive outlook. In oil and gas, more than one in four respondents said the gap was negligible (0–5%).
When asked how to bridge the gap, professionals overwhelmingly pointed to performance-led promotions. Over a third (34%) of respondents chose this as the most effective solution, with the number rising to 39% among those with 15-plus years of experience. Bias-free and transparent hiring (27%) and transparent pay practices (21%) were also widely endorsed, particularly in city clusters like Noida and Gurgaon, where calls for pay transparency were the strongest.
The survey findings underscore that while the gender pay gap is widely acknowledged across industries and career levels, the causes and solutions differ by region, sector, and gender. Career breaks and workplace bias remain central challenges, but systemic interventions — such as merit-driven progression, transparent hiring and pay practices, and supportive workplace policies — hold the key to building a more equitable future of work in India.
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