Legislation that mandates equal pay for women and men has been in place for decades in countries such as the US, Iceland, and the UK. This year marks 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act. However, there are still many myths to be debunked.
1 What is the difference in the gender pay gap and unequal pay?
Gender pay gap refers to the difference in hourly pay rates between men and women. It can be expressed as a median, or average figure, and on either full-time or partial-time hourly wages. The gender pay gap reflects the fact that women are less likely to be employed in higher-paying jobs.
Because the gender pay gap represents an average figure, it cannot tell you whether there is pay discrimination between individuals. This — unequal pay — is where women and men are paid differently yet they do the same job (“equal work”), a job rated as equivalent, or work of equal value.
A small gender pay gap can exist within an organisation, but it may conceal pay discrimination between men working in similar jobs and women.
2 Are men and women paid the same amount for the same job?
We know from dozens of women using the Fawcett Society’s equal pay advice service, and from high-profile equal-pay victories, such as presenter Samira Ahmed’s against the BBC, that pay discrimination is much more common than you might think.
The majority of cases the Fawcett service sees concern the “equal work” type. Many women don’t know what their male colleagues earn and are not able to challenge the gender pay gap. Talking about work pay is still taboo and discouraged in employment contracts (which are unenforceable in the UK). That is why Fawcett is calling for the “right to know” to give an individual an enforceable right to know what a colleague is earning if they suspect unequal pay.
It is important that you recognize that different rates of pay do not always result from discrimination. It is possible to pay men and women differently under UK law. However, there must be an objective justification, such as the level or expertise of the person being paid.
3 How can two totally different jobs be valued equally
When we attribute a salary for a role, we are making statements about its value. Sometimes, that is determined by historical factors, what we perceive as the going rate, or where a job features within a pay band, or at a particular point of a pay scale.
We often forget to ask why one role should be paid less when it is dominated women than another when it is dominated men. It doesn’t hold up when it is challenged. This is why in the Glasgow City Council Equal Pay Case, care workers as well as nursery workers were able to claim equal pay last year with refuse collectors.
4 Women are not considered undervalued. They just choose to work in lower-paid jobs.
Research shows that pay falls for women who move into male-dominated fields. This suggests that it is the women themselves that are undervalued, rather than their role.
Additionally, domestic and unpaid work are still overwhelmingly performed by women so those jobs are also undervalued. Women tend to reduce their hours to care for their children and grandchildren.
Because part-time work is often lower paid, women are trading down their earning power and often working below their skill levels — which affects the development of their careers.
5 The pay gap is a myth: it is all about women’s choices
The structural inequality that causes the pay gap is real. It represents a productivity gap because it reflects an underuse of women’s skills and expertise. Although girls are more educated than boys, this doesn’t translate into the labour market in terms both of their earning power in female-dominated positions and their potential to achieve their career goals through career advancement.
6 Women are not willing to ask for more money.
Evidence suggests that women, especially younger women, are more likely than men to ask for higher pay but are more likely to be turned away. He is ambitious and pushy, while she is impulsive and annoying. It all boils down to the gender stereotypes we are exposed and conditioned to in our lives.
The writer is chief executive of the UK’s Fawcett Society
Source: Financial Times
