A report published by Kon Ferry Hay Group suggests women in India earn about 18.8 percent lower when compared to men. One of the main reasons for the difference in income is lack of women in highest-paying job roles and industries.
In the global scenario, women earn 17.6 percent lesser than men. However the figure is higher in India. The study, which was conducted in 33 countries, tracked and analysed gender ratios and income for more than 8 million employees worldwide, which included 57,000 employees in India, Press Trust of India reported, cited the exercise.
"Our data shows that when it comes to thinking about pay on the basis of gender, a man and a woman in the same company, doing the same job, will usually be paid nearly the same, but still favouring men by 1.6 percent," PTI quoted Ben Frost, a global reward expert at Hay Group, as saying.
However in India, despite similar job roles and job levels, the difference in the pay gap was seen at 3.5 percent.
Overall, the report said, the number of women working in high-paying industries such as oil and gas or technology is "lacking." In other women-dominated sectors such as tourism and hospitality, it is the men who take up senior leadership or management positions — higher paying roles.
"The biggest driver of the pay gap is the lack of women in high-paying industries, senior functions and in leadership positions. If we want to close the pay gap and make a difference, it the road to the top jobs that need to be the focus. This is the pay gap problem," Frost said in the report.
