Gender Pay Gap

Question 1

Organisations should want to close their pay gap, not to avoid shame but because a workplace that denigrates the contribution of its female staff errs on commercial as well as ethical grounds.

Exploitation and that, ultimately, is what this is about – demoralises workers and chases away talent.

Answer 1

The real reason for the pay gap is not only that women are getting paid less for the same work as men,
but also because they are not getting into the higher-paid positions. And if companies want to reduce their gender pay gap, this is the area that would make a difference.

Question 2

**companies also for their pay gap suggests a tendency to make excuses rather than accept that there is an imbalance which they could do anything about.

Answer 2

But why does this gap exist ?

1. One is an environmental explanation, where social norms make it harder for mothers to stay in the workforce. Under this explanation, moms may find that they aren’t offered certain opportunities — a job that requires significant travel or long hours, for example — because of the perception that they are the primary caregiver to a child.

Question 3

2. Over half of all women are concentrated in the broad categories of sales, clerical, and service jobs. Women can have a hard time breaking into the male-dominated jobs.
3. In this day and age, women are still told they don’t make as much as the men because the men have families to support.

Answer 3

4. The Motherhood Penalty - Research shows that many mothers suffer workplace-related consequences after having a child. When compared with men and childless women, new moms are often perceived to have lower competence and commitment, and they face higher professional expectations and a lower chance of hiring and promotion.

Question 4

What can be done ?

1. Improve performance reviews and feedback: Unconscious bias is prevalent in the workplace, particularly when it comes to performance reviews, as men and women’s performance sometimes receives different types of evaluation. An effective strategy is to increase accountability in performance evaluations by setting up criteria upfront and having a third party monitor the process.

Answer 4

2. Transparency around pay as a tactic for pay equity: Transparency around pay helps remove the question of gender-influenced pay. Pay transparency lets everyone know what their colleagues are earning and would make women aware if they are making less than their male counterparts.