<p>Gender differences in migration are commonly assessed using overall mobility patterns, which may obscure disparities in migration undertaken for educational and employment-related purposes. This study examines gender inequality in developmental migration in India using nationally representative data from the National Sample Survey (NSS) 2020–21. Developmental migration is defined as migration undertaken primarily for employment or education. Descriptive statistics, Sopher’s Index, multivariable logistic regression, marginal effects, migration-stream analysis, and heterogeneity analyses were employed to assess gender disparities. The findings reveal a marked divergence between overall migration and developmental migration. While women account for a substantial share of total migrants, their adjusted probability of developmental migration remains substantially lower than that of men. After adjusting for migration stream, age, social group, religion, educational attainment, household economic status, and place of residence, the predicted probability of developmental migration was 46.2% among men compared with 2.3% among women, corresponding to an adjusted gender gap of 43.9% points. Developmental migration was substantially more prevalent among inter-district and interstate migrants, while substantial gender disparities persisted across all migration streams. Educational attainment was positively associated with developmental migration for both sexes; however, sizeable gender differences remained across educational groups. Considerable interstate variation in gender inequality was also observed. The findings underscore the importance of distinguishing between migration volume and migration motive when assessing gender disparities in mobility and suggest that analyses based solely on aggregate migration levels may overlook important inequalities in participation in education- and employment-related migration.</p>