NEW DELHI: The Monster Salary Index (MSI) data from 2016 indicates that the current gender pay gap in India stands at 25% where men earned a median gross hourly salary of Rs. 345.8, in comparison women earned only Rs. 259.8. The gap has narrowed by two percentage points from 27.2% in 2015 and is closer to the 24.1% in 2014.According to Monster, Women of India Inc., survey aimed at understanding the working women of India and their workplace concerns broadly was categorised under the parameters of- workplace, growth and safety. The survey was conducted on Monster India’s database capturing responses from over 2000 working women.Analysing the employment-intensive sectors, the index derives that the average gender pay gap in the Manufacturing sector stood at 29.9 per cent.This is an improvement of 5 percentage points from 2015, however the highest in India.This was followed by a 25.8 per cent pay gap in the IT sector. The gender pay gap in the BFSI sector was at 21.5 per cent, slightly under the general gender pay gap in India (25 per cent). In Education and Research sector the average gender pay gap was at 14.7 per cent.Sanjay Modi, managing director, APAC & middle-east, Monster.com said, “In India, the gender pay gap story holds true and the overall gap across India Inc. is at 25 percent. This primarily is a manifestation of the underlying diversity challenges that organisations currently face.There is a dire need for tangible initiatives to bridge this pay gap with removing structural impediments to women's growth providing access to skills training, jobs; and decision-making.”The survey witnessed maximum share of participation from Delhi NCR at 15 per cent, followed by Mumbai and Bangalore at 12 per cent. The participation from non-metros was at 35 per cent. Hence, it would be logical to say that the sentiment portrayed in the report is primarily from Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore.The survey derives that contribution to family income among the top reasons why women work (37.9 per cent). However, a significant 25.1 per cent feel why women are questioned on their reasons to work.About 43.7 per cent women feel that gender parity need not be a top priority for their organisations. Strangely, however over 68.5 per cent expressed that even if gender parity is a priority, the management does not walk the talk and there isn’t any change in the situation. This indicates the need for India Inc to step up and implement pragmatic policies to bridge the gap.The survey draws attention with over 36.8 per cent women stating that organisations should put in efforts and focus on gender diversity. Further delving into gender diversity initiatives at an organisational level, the survey suggests that 31.9 per cent women feel that structured diversity programs at workplace do not help in changing perception. It is shocking to note that only 14.7 per cent women stated that their organisations have regular gender diversity programs for all employees.The majority of the survey respondents’ (97.2 per cent) fall under 1-10 years’ experience category out of which a whopping 60.2 per cent are with 1-3 years’ experience and only 2.7 per cent women with an experience of over 10 years.One of the reasons could be that women are forced to quit their jobs or take leaves due to 'life stage needs' like maternity and child care. About 13.1 per cent feel the absence of proper child care is one of the biggest challenges for women professional. This can be taken care of by an ability to do the same job from home or child care facilities at a workplace.Focussing on the growth parameters at work, 53.9 per cent women are between happy to partially happy, as they feel that there could be more opportunities. Despite conversations on Equal Pay and initiatives being taken to create a more inclusive environment, 62.4 per cent women feel that their male counterparts get more promotions opportunities and gender continue to play a role in deciding promotions along with other parameters.A notable 78.1 per cent consider safety as the key parameter while choosing a job. The women of India Inc. expressed their reservations towards opting for night shift jobs with over 66.4 per cent who consider it as unsafe and would choose to avoid night shifts. However, about 62.7 per cent feel that organisations should provide short-term self-defence classes.Paulien Osse, director, Wage Indicator Foundation said, “The report has been devised basis an extensive methodical research across eight key sectors in India with an aim to empower recruiters and job seekers to analyse salaries through a credible platform.”Professor Biju Varkkey of IIM-Ahmedabad added, “The analysis is a credible repository supported by data and elaborate understanding of the Indian job market. The study aims to help understand salary and related trends in the Indian employment scenario.”1)* The average gender pay gap of 38.2 per cent is one of the widest observed in this report. Women earn INR 142.5 less per hour than men. This means that men gain another 38.2 per cent more of their salary*Salaries for both, men and women, decreased in 2015 and then rose above the 2014 pay levels in 2016*Absolute decreases and increases have been stronger for female employees (-INR 3.8 compared to -INR 23.0 and +INR 38.4 compared to INR 94.9)*After a sudden rise from 36.9 per cent, a difference of INR 134.8 per hour, to 43.7 per cent (INR 161.6) in 2015, the gender pay gap shrank again in 2016 to ‘only’ 25.8 per cent, meaning a difference of INR 105.1 per hourly median wage*The gender pay gap in the Financial services, banking and insurance sector amounts to 21.5 per cent*This is slightly under the general gender pay gap in India (25 per cent). On average, men earn an hourly median wage of INR 346.4 and women INR 272.0*The comparison of the three years reveals that the wages for both genders experienced only little changes from 2014 to 2015*In 2016, however, wages rose by INR 144.3 (+45.4 per cent) for male employees and by INR 79.5 (+29.8 per cent) for female employees. Therefore, while the gender pay gap shrank slightly from 2014 to 2015, it grew again in 2016 to 25.0 per cent*In the education and research sector the gender pay gap amounts to 14.7 per cent on average. It is nearly 10 percentage points below the overall level of 25 per cent*Hourly median wages for men have risen by 7.0 per cent from INR 190.5 to INR 203.8 between 2014 and 2016*Women also gained more in 2016 than 2014 as much as INR 50.5 (32.8 per cent). The gender pay gap increased again from 19.2 per cent and 13.1 per cent in 2014 and 2015 respectively to -3.4 per cent in 2016*Male employees in the Manufacturing sector earn INR 256.6 on average, female employees INR 179.8. This amounts to a gender pay gap of 29.9 per cent*Compared to the average value observed in the WageIndex Report 2015 (34.9 per cent) an improvement of 5 percentage points can be observed. However, the gap remains one of the highest in India*Wages for male employees stayed stable in 2015 but decreased by INR 43.3 in 2016, forming the gender pay gap 13.3 per cent*On average, a 22.6 per cent gender gap exists in the Healthcare, caring services, social work sector. Male employees earned INR 242.4, female employees INR 187.6 per hour (-INR 54.8)*The gender pay gap was smallest in 2015 with only INR 8.3 (3.6 per cent) making wages nearly equal. In 2016, however, the gap increased significantly to INR 103.3 (39.9 per cent).*The median gross hourly wages were INR 274.2 in 2014, INR 283.4 in 2015 and INR 288.7 in 2016 making them the third highest wages paid in India in 2016*On average, however, men earned INR 52.2 more than women in this sector. Thus, there is a gender pay gap of 18.1 per cent*Men witnessed a minor wage increase of INR 6.4 (2014/2015) and a major increase of INR 18.3 (2015/2016)*Contrary to this, wages for female employees first decreased by INR 7.2 to then grow strongly by INR 40.9. Hence, it is not surprising that the gender gap was biggest in 2015 with 22.5 per cent*On average, the gender pay gap in the Legal and market consultancy and business activities sector is 27.5 per cent (INR 73.9) per hour. Women earn INR 195.0, men INR 268.9*Wages for male employees seem to stabilise at INR 259.8 after a drop of INR 6.4 in 2015. Women’s wages in the sector decreased in 2015*The gender pay gap seems to be growing as in 2015 it was 27.9 per cent but rose significantly to 42.4 in 2016*In the Transport, logistics and communications sector earn similar wages on average. Women remain underpaid by 5.2 per cent*Wages of men went up after a drop in 2015 to reach INR 264.4 in 2016. Those for female employees increased in 2015, but then decreased more than 8 per cent to stay at INR 244.1. The gender pay gap in 2016 is around INR 20 (7.7 per cent).