Is India Really Closing Its Gender Gap? Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath Weighs In

Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has sparked a fresh conversation on India's gender dynamics, sharing data from the International Labour Organisation and the Ministry of Statistics that highlights both progress and paradox. While more women are studying and entering the workforce than ever before, stark disparities in pay and participation remain, he highlights.

The numbers are striking. On average, women earn just Rs 76 for every Rs 100 men make in salaried jobs. In high-skill positions, men command Rs 150 per hour, compared with Rs 112 for women. Men contribute 82% of total labour income, while women account for only 18%, the data showed.

Education, however, tells a different story. Today, women outpace men at higher levels of learning, with 57% of postgraduate degrees and 67% of M.Phil degrees going to women. Dropout rates for girls in secondary school are lower than those for boys.

The data underlines a central challenge: closing the gender gap is not just about expanding access to education, but about reshaping social norms, workplace structures, and how value is assigned to women's work.

In 1981, just three in ten women could read; today, that number is seven in ten. Kamath calls this a "silent education revolution."

Workforce participation has also risen, with women’s labour force participation rate climbing from 23% in 2018 to 42% in 2024. States like Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur show female participation well above 60%. Yet, the paradox persists: while 48% of rural women are employed, only 28% of urban women are in the workforce.

For Kamath, the issue goes beyond policy or education. "The problem at the core might be one of society and psychology," he noted. "Articulating and taking cognizance might be step one."