Ahmedabad: Generali Central Insurance, a joint venture between Italian insurance major Generali and Central Bank of India, has launched a new campaign titled “Happy Women’s Pay”, calling for structural change in gender pay equality and positioning pay parity as the most meaningful way to honour International Women’s Day.
The campaign reframes the traditional greeting associated with Women’s Day and places equal pay at the centre of corporate accountability. The company reiterated its stance as an equal-pay employer, emphasizing that genuine celebration lies not in symbolic gestures but in structural fairness.
Despite growing conversations around workplace equality, global data indicates that women continue to earn less than men for comparable work — a disparity that has widened in some regions following the pandemic. Generali Central Insurance said its initiative seeks to address this imbalance by promoting transparency and sustained dialogue around pay equity.
According to industry estimates, India’s gender pay gap stands at roughly 35%, with women earning about 65% of men’s wages despite decades since the implementation of the Equal Remuneration Act.
Commenting on the initiative, Anup Rau, Managing Director and CEO of Generali Central Insurance Company Limited, said:“Sustainable businesses are built on fairness and trust for every stakeholder – employees, customers, partners and shareholders. Equal pay for equal work should not be an aspiration; it should be the norm. When organisations get this right, they not only address an equity issue but also build stronger teams and greater trust within the workplace and beyond.
At Generali Central Insurance, we see pay parity as a fundamental test of whether we are living our values. Initiatives like Happy Women’s Pay encourage companies to examine their numbers honestly and ask whether they are doing right and doing enough.”
At the centre of the campaign is a slam-poetry film voiced by 15 women, which challenges token gestures often associated with Women’s Day celebrations and calls for fairness and dignity in the workplace. The film contrasts customary greetings, flowers and social media messages with the deeper demand for equal pay.
By reframing Women’s Day with the message “From Day to Pay”, the company aims to encourage businesses to move beyond symbolic observances toward long-term systemic change.
The campaign will be amplified through a mix of digital platforms, social media, print media and internal engagement initiatives, alongside out-of-home (OOH) advertising, ensuring wide visibility and sparking conversations around pay transparency and equity in corporate India. Generali Central Insurance said the initiative is intended to prompt organisations to reflect on their compensation structures and adopt policies that ensure fair pay practices across roles and genders.
The company has also released the campaign’s “Happy Women’s Pay” slam-poetry film, which can be viewed online.