If you thought wage gap was a myth, think again. Survey reveals Indian women earn 25% of what men earn

Don't fool yourself, wage gap is very real. Photo Courtesy: Twitter/IGAdvisors

How many times have you dismissed the claims that the wage gap doesn't exist? If you are one of those who believed it to be a myth, we have some bad news for you.

A new survey has revealed that the wage gap pretty much exists and Indian women just earn one fourth of what their male counterparts earn.

The survey conducted by Monster India has found that men earn a median gross hourly salary of Rs 345.80, while for women it is only mere Rs 259.8. Talk about gender disparity, right?

Although the report suggests that the gender pay gap has narrowed by two per cent from 27.2% in 2015 over last year, 68.5% women of India Inc feel that gender equality is still a concern. It was found that the average gender pay gap is highest in the manufacturing sector which is at 29.9%, followed by the IT sector where it stands at 25.8%. The gender pay gap in the Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI) sector was at 21.5%, slightly under the general gender pay gap in India (25 per cent).

Also read: Gender equality is a distant dream for another 170 years

Sanjay Modi, Managing Director (Asia-Pacific and Middle-East) at Monster.com, said in a statement that the gap is mainly due to various diversity challenges. "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," he said.

"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," Modi added.

Last year, a report released by the World Economic Forum had showed that the gender gap between men and women is a persistent concern all over the world.

We wonder what women will have to do get equal pay for equal work. Haven't we fought this battle for long enough to get what we actually deserve? Also why would we even have to fight? A pay is a basic right.

Time and again people have tried oversimplify this pertinent issue by saying that the "life choices" made by women is the real reason behind the gap.

The thing is, there is a reason why only very few women hold top positions in company. And that reason is wage gap. We are hoping that companies will take a note of this survey and will bring in the necessary changes in the system.

Because a woman is as capable as a man and to discriminate against her on the basis of gender is simply unfair.