This short article is written by Divyansha Singh.
Abstract:
The right to equal pay is a vital aspect of human rights, social justice, and constitutional fairness in India. Despite women’s significant contributions across formal and informal sectors, wage gaps and workplace discrimination remain widespread. Recent surveys highlight that nearly one in four salaried women in Indian metropolitan areas perceive a pay disparity, and a significant portion reports experiencing bias in their workplaces. Empirical studies reveal that women in sectors like technology, banking, financial services, insurance, life sciences, and healthcare earn between 19% to almost 30% less than men performing comparable roles. With an economic participation score of about 40.7% and pay parity close to just 30%, India is ranked 131st among 148 countries in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index, trailing behind neighboring South Asian nations. These statistics expose profound structural challenges such as occupational segregation, systematic undervaluation of women’s roles, opaque pay practices, and persistent biases in career progression and leadership opportunities.
Additionally, intersecting factors including caste, class, religion, and migrant status exacerbate disparities for marginalized women. Addressing these inequalities requires more than legal mandates, it calls for diligent enforcement of laws like the Equal Remuneration Act and Code on Wages, comprehensive gender pay audits, transparent salary policies, workplace reforms, and awareness campaigns aimed at dismantling stereotypes. Closing the gender pay gap is imperative not only for upholding women’s rights but also to foster broader economic growth and social equity in India. Meaningful progress will emerge from combined policy action, corporate accountability, and cultural transformation that genuinely values women’s labor at par with men’s.
KEY WORDS: Equal pay, Wage disparity, Gender bias, Occupational segregation, Pay transparency.







