A report by Naukri curated for Worldwide Girls’s Day 2025
At Naukri, we imagine in chopping via the noise. So we posed 9 inquiries to 70,000+ ladies professionals throughout 50+ cities, relating to completely different elements of their company lives.
The solutions would possibly shock you!
BREAKING THE MYTHS
| MYTH | REALITY |
|---|---|
| Girls professionals’ prime office demand is equal pay. | 34% of ladies professionals prioritize menstrual depart insurance policies over all the things else. |
| Girls professionals lack the ambition to steer. | 66% really feel inspired to pursue management, however 44% concern work-life imbalance. |
| Versatile work is only a pandemic-era perk. | 1 in 2 ladies professionals say it is important to their work-life steadiness. |
| The necessity for versatile work is over. | 1 in 2 ladies professionals say that it’s essential for work-life steadiness. |
| Pay gaps are constant throughout wage ranges. | As salaries climb over 50 LPA, perceived pay disparity jumps from 11% to 26%. |
What’s the #1 coverage ladies professionals search on the office?
Menstrual Depart Tops the Record
34% of ladies professionals voted for menstrual depart as their #1 office coverage request, adopted by childcare help (27%).
Almost half of early-career professionals (0-3 years) think about menstrual depart non-negotiable, with Bangalore (20%) and Mumbai (13%) main this demand.
REALITY CHECK: Whereas corporations like Zomato and Swiggy have pioneered menstrual depart insurance policies, 75% of ladies professionals report their workplaces nonetheless do not help it.
NEWS SPOTLIGHT: In 2023, Spain turned the primary European nation to approve a nationwide menstrual depart coverage, providing three paid days off per thirty days for girls professionals with extreme interval ache. The query is: Will Indian corporations observe go well with?
Do ladies professionals really feel inspired to pursue management roles of their organizations?
The Good Information: Girls Professionals Wish to Lead
A decisive 66% of ladies professionals really feel inspired to pursue management roles of their organizations.
Trade Champions:
- IT: 66%
- Banking & Monetary Providers: 65%
- FMCG: 57%
The Roadblock: Work-Life Imbalance
What’s holding ladies professionals again? It isn’t lack of ambition
44% concern work-life imbalance
- 35% wrestle with unclear or biased promotions
- 14% say management applications are too restricted
- 7% cite a scarcity of seen position fashions
INSIGHT: The concern of work-life imbalance peaks amongst professionals with 5-10 years of expertise (45%), exactly when many ladies professionals additionally steadiness household obligations.
CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT: Firms like Accenture and Deloitte have carried out “return to work” applications particularly designed for girls professionals resuming careers after breaks, with versatile hours and phased transitions.
Do ladies professionals really feel there may be pay parity between women and men of their organisation?
As salaries rise, so do doubts
The upper ladies professionals climb on the wage ladder, the extra they query pay fairness:
- And a pair of-5 LPA: Solely 11% understand a gender pay hole
- At 50 LPA-1 Cr: 26% understand inequality
Cities The place Pay Gaps Really feel Widest:
- Mumbai: 28%
- Delhi: 27%
- Bangalore: 24%
Industries With Perceived Pay Disparities:
- Banking & Monetary Providers: 23%
- IT: 20%
- FMCG: 20%
THE HARD TRUTH: Almost 1 in 4 ladies professionals imagine equal pay stays a distant dream, no matter their business or expertise degree.
GLOBAL INSIGHT: Iceland, constantly ranked #1 for gender equality, has made it unlawful for corporations to pay males greater than ladies professionals for a similar job.
What improves ladies professionals’ work-life steadiness?
The Hybrid Work Mannequin is right here to remain..
Whereas tech giants like Amazon and Dell have pushed for 5-day workplace mandates, 1 in 2 ladies professionals say hybrid or distant work choices would most enhance their work-life steadiness.
Trade Insights:
- In IT & BPO: Over 50% prioritize versatile work preparations compared with different initiatives like childcare and psychological well being help.
- In Schooling & Pharma: Over 20% search higher psychological well being help
CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT: Firms like Microsoft and Citigroup have embraced everlasting hybrid fashions, recognizing flexibility as a aggressive benefit in attracting and retaining feminine expertise.
BOLD INITIATIVES FOR GENDER EQUITY
We requested ladies professionals, if they might recommend one daring initiative for gender fairness, what would that be?
Total Priorities:
- 60% push for 50:50 management illustration
- 20% advocate for gender-neutral parental depart
- 20% demand inner pay benchmarking
Priorities shift with expertise:
- 75% of freshers (0-2 years) need equal management illustration
- 29% of senior professionals (15+ years) demand pay transparency
Metropolis-Particular Calls for
| Metropolis | 50:50 Management Illustration | Gender Impartial Parental Depart | Inner Pay Benchmarking Report |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | 62% | 18% | 20% |
| Chennai | 67% | 21% | 13% |
| Delhi | 59% | 18% | 23% |
| mumbai | 57% | 18% | 25% |
CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT: Netflix affords limitless parental depart for the primary 12 months after a toddler’s beginning or adoption, obtainable to each moms and dads—recognizing that caregiving is not only a lady’s duty.
What do ladies professionals need from their male colleagues?
Totally different profession levels require completely different types of help:
- Early-career ladies professionals (0-5 years): 82% need respectful mentorship with out bias
- 86% want male allies to advocate for his or her management development
Trade Focus:
- IT: 35%
- Banking & Monetary Providers: 34% search respectful mentorship from male leaders
REALITY CHECK: True allyship is not nearly avoiding harassment; it is about lively advocacy, making house in conferences, amplifying ladies professionals’ voices, and sharing credit score for concepts.
What’s the greatest problem that girls professionals from various backgrounds face?
Girls professionals from completely different areas, ethnicities, and backgrounds face compounded limitations:
1 in 3 (33%) say bias in hiring and promotions is their greatest problem, with management alternatives feeling out of attain.
Different challenges embody inequality in pay (19%)Lack of management alternatives (35%), and restricted mentorship (13%).
PERSPECTIVE: Intersectionality issues. Girls professionals do not expertise the office as simply ladies, however as ladies of specific backgrounds, areas, languages, and identities—every including distinctive layers to their skilled journey.
CONCLUSION:
The true query is not what ladies professionals need at work—it is whether or not organizations are able to ship!