New Delhi, September 18, 2025 – Naukri, India’s leading job platform, has released findings from a nationwide survey of over 20,000 jobseekers across 80+ industries and 8 cities, highlighting that nearly 1 in 2 professionals (45%) believe India’s gender pay gap remains above 20%. The data shows that career breaks after children and workplace bias continue to be the biggest contributors to the disparity, with IT emerging as the sector most affected.
Career Breaks as Key Driver
More than half of professionals (51%) identified maternity breaks as the single biggest reason behind the gender pay gap in India, while 27% pointed to workplace bias—the way women are perceived at work—as the primary cause. Importantly, both men and women share this view. This belief was strongest in IT (56%), Pharma (55%), and Automobile (53%). The impact of career breaks is 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.
50% Professionals believe IT Tops the List for Pay Disparity
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.
Perceptions Vary by Experience and Industry
The survey found that senior professionals view the gender pay gap more starkly. Nearly half of respondents with 10–15 years (46%) and 15+ 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 & Gas and Retail offered a more positive outlook. In Oil & Gas, more than 1 in 4 respondents said the gap was negligible (0–5%).
Solutions Suggested by Professionals
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+ 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.
Conclusion
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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