Mumbai: Indians are among the most progressive in their views on gender equality and being unbiased toward gender stereotypes. At least 78% citizens polled personally believe in the importance of achieving gender equality, with both genders being aligned (77% men; 80% women). Some markets were almost polarized on their personal views on gender parity, especially, South Korea (52%) and Netherlands (54%). Likewise, on gender stereotypes, there was absence of bias towards women for domestic chores of housekeeping and cooking with 48% citizens perceiving it as a shared responsibility. 28% attributed the responsibility with women and 18% to men.
These are some of the findings of the Ipsos 30-country study for International Women’s Day 2025 which looks at people’s attitudes and perceptions to gender equality.
8th March is International Women’s Day. And centred around the IWD 2025 theme of #AccelerateAction for gender equality, Ipsos has unveiled a new survey.
Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India said, “According to the WEF, at the current rate of progress, it would take until 2158, which is roughly 5 generations from now, to reach full gender parity. Accelerate Action calls for increased momentum and urgency addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in professional and personal spheres. What it is heartening to see that both men and women in India are aligned in their views on equal treatment and opportunity for women. Urban Indians would be by far more progressive in their views on gender equality versus those residing in rural India or Bharat. Families are smaller now and some families have only the girl child or girls. With urban pressures of work, home responsibilities, parents are showering their love on their child minus gender bias. Even rural India is witnessing progressive shifts with projects like beti bachao, beti padhao, lakhpati didis, government policies are pivoted toward systemic changes.”
So how do things look and who are the change makers?
Women holding positions with responsibilities in business and govt is seen as a major step in accelerating gender equality, with the view held by at least 2 in 3 Indians (69%). And representation of women in business and govt was also seen as an essential step in achieving gender equality. Though equal number of Indians feel that as a country India has already done a lot in giving women equal rights as men.
There is also the overarching view of increased stress on men to support gender equality (66%) and further 64% Indians believe that in our overambitious plans of promoting gender equality, men are being discriminated against.
Gender equality is the theme and the buzzword for 2025 and beyond, but the other extreme of a man staying at home to look after his children is also not acceptable to Indians – he is seen as less of a man – this view was held by at least 6 in 10 Indians. So it is clear, women want gender parity, but men need to be the bread earners. In fact this view has become more pronounced now, unlike in 2019, when only 39% felt this way, about stay-at-home dads. Interestingly, in South Korea, 76% held this view in 2019, to 69% now.
In case of gender stereotypes and biases, more citizens were unbiased about labelling stereotypes to only women or men, and felt it applied to both providing progressive views towards gender equality. Performing unpaid care for family members, of childcare, looking after elderly relatives was attributed to both genders by 53% Indians. Likewise for other areas like gender-based violence (48%, both), being physically assaulted (48%, both), being offered parental leave, maternity/ paternity (48%, both), easily accessing healthcare (52%, both), among others.
Technical note: Ipsos interviewed 24,269 people online between December 20, 2024 and January 3, 2025 in 30 countries. Quotas were set to ensure representativeness and data have been weighted to the known population profile of each country. The sample consists of approximately 2,000 individuals in Japan, 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey. The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 400 were interviewed online.