A survey by Monster India has found that women in the country earn 25% less than men. The “Women of India Inc” survey said a majority of its female respondents were of the opinion that their male colleagues were given a higher number of career promotion opportunities as well.
The salary divide is the most stark in the manufacturing and Information Technology sectors, the Monster Salary Index on gender found. The index said women employees earned an overall median gross hourly salary of Rs 259.8 as against Rs 345.8 for men.
68.5% of the respondents said management needed to “walk-the-talk” when it comes to gender parity. The survey said 62% of the women surveyed felt that their male counterparts were given more career promotions than them. The analysis attributed the gap to women being “forced to quit their jobs or take leave due to life stage needs like maternity and child care”.
The firm said India’s workplaces had “glass floors, glass doors and glass walls” in addition to the proverbial “glass ceiling”.
Around 13% of the respondents were of the opinion that poor child care support was a hindrance to women employees. The survey said the disparity in remuneration had improved by two percentage points from 27.2% in 2015 to 25% in 2016.
“In India, the gender pay gap story holds true and the overall gap across India Inc is at 25%. This primarily is a manifestation of the underlying diversity challenges that organisations currently face,” Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, APAC & Middle-East, Monster.com said. He said increased access to skill training, jobs and decision making roles would improve the scenario, PTI reported.
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