Equal Pay Day: Striving for gender equality at work
In 2024, it may be easy to assume that gender equality is no longer an issue, but unfortunately, this is not the case. Gender equality is fundamentally a basic human right – so why does it still seem out of reach?
The gender pay gap
One of the most prevalent gender equality issues still present in today’s society is the gender pay gap, which is the difference in earnings between men and women. Historically around the world, men have earned substantially more than women, and the UK is no exception to this.
In 1997, the pay gap reached its peak in the UK at a staggering 27.5% across all workers. Although the gap has been closing ever since, progress is disappointingly slow and the problem still remains.
The Fawcett Society
Every year, The Fawcett Society, the UK’s leading membership charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights, run a national campaign called ‘Equal Pay Day’. This day, based on the gender pay gap, represents the day in the year when women in the UK stop being paid in comparison to men.
This year, ‘Equal Pay Day’ falls on the 20th November, 2024. This puts the gender pay gap at 11.3%, which is an alarming increase from 10.4% in 2023. Seeing the inequality from this perspective is a sobering view of our society’s lingering imbalances – why are women being subjected to over a month of essentially unpaid work?
Why is this still happening?
Many have conducted research into why the gender pay gap exists, and have found a multitude of different causes which may factor into the problem.
Senior roles – As a whole, there are more men than women in senior roles. Consequently, as senior people are paid more than junior roles, this negatively impacts the gender pay gap.
Part-time jobs – Mums are more likely than dads to spend more time caring for children, so this can naturally lead to women having to seek out part-time jobs. This need for flexibility can result in settling for positions below their skill levels and with fewer progression opportunities.
Low-paid sectors – Occupations that are traditionally regarded as requiring ‘feminine’ people and caring skills, such as nursing and teaching, are often much more poorly-paid than conceptually ‘masculine’ roles, like engineering and construction.
Paid less for the same role – One of the most shocking contributing factors to the gender pay gap is the reality that there are many companies out there in which women are simply paid less for doing the exact same roles as men.
How can the gender pay gap be resolved?
Being able to identify the root causes is the first step towards abolishing this pay disparity, as foundations can be built upon these to implement solutions. While there may not be an immediate one-size-fits-all solution, there are certainly steps that can be taken.
Pay and promotion transparency – Supporting transparency in pay rises and promotions ensures that everyone in an organisation is offered equal opportunities for career development, and may also help reduce any unconscious bias within the workplace.
Encouraging salary negotiation – Women are much less likely than men to negotiate on their pay, so actively encouraging this could be hugely beneficial in some industries to reduce the pay gap.
Male parental leave – New fathers may find that their companies aren’t supportive of male parental leave, so this must be addressed to give working mothers the option to be able to continue work if they want to after having children.
With the gender pay gap still present in our lives today, it is more important than ever to strive for its eradication. This year’s ‘Equal Pay Day’ is a chance to reflect on how we can change our society for the better, and focus on empowering women to push forward and achieve pay equality for the future.
