- Thursday, March 06, 2025
Struggle with unclear or biased promotions, limited leadership programmes and lack of visible role models were some other roadblocks, says a survey conducted by the jobs listing portal Naukri
By: India Weekly
A SIGNIFICANT percentage of women feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, however, fear over work-life imbalance holds them back, a report said on Thursday (16).
According to jobs listing portal Naukri’s “The Unfiltered Truth: What Women Professionals Really Want” report, over 66 per cent of women feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, challenging perceptions about professional ambition.
However, 44 per cent of women ultimately hold back, citing concerns about work-life balance, which indicates a complex decision-making process beyond simple career progression, the report said.
Struggle with unclear or biased promotions (35 per cent), limited leadership programmes (14 per cent) and lack of visible role models (7 per cent) were some other roadblocks holding back women from pursuing leadership roles, it added.
The report was based on responses from 70,000 women across 50 cities.
Further, the report found that 34 per cent of women professionals rank menstrual leave as their number one workplace policy request – surpassing traditional equal pay discussions.
Nearly half of early-career professionals consider it non-negotiable, yet 75 per cent report their workplaces still don’t support such policies, it added.
While 75 per cent of early-career professionals (between 0-2 years) push for equal leadership representation, nearly a third of senior professionals (over 15 years) prioritise pay transparency, the report noted.
The report stated that the perception of pay disparity intensifies as women advance in their careers.
While only 11 per cent of women earning ₹200,000-500,000 per annum (LPA) perceive a gender pay gap, this increased to 26 per cent among those earning between ₹5 million and ₹10 million – suggesting more complex dynamics at higher salary levels, it said.
According to the report, the gap is the widest in cities such as Mumbai (28 per cent), Bengaluru (27 per cent) and Delhi (24 per cent), and in sectors like BFSI (28 per cent), FMCG (27 per cent) and IT (24 per cent).
“This report is our way of ensuring their voices are heard. From menstrual leave becoming a top priority to the evolving expectations from leadership, the insights challenge some common assumptions.
“These findings present an opportunity for organisations to create more inclusive environments that respond to women’s actual priorities,” said Sumeet Singh, CMO, Infoedge Group, the parent company of Naukri. (PTI)
