And so the pay gap lingers on.
Irish women earn 17% less than their male counterparts according to the
European Commission study released this week.
With twice as many men earning
over €50,000 per annum compared to women, one begins to question the supposed
egalitarian environment in which we work.
Thankfully, the narrow minded
notion that the woman’s place is in the home has long subsided. However, with
the aforementioned news of the gender pay gap, a debate of similar prominence
will no doubt resurface. The European Commission which undertook the study
cites a myriad of reasons for this gender pay gap, including discrimination
against women, undervaluing of women’s skills and a low number of women in
senior and leadership positions.
The study also suggests that age
demographic impacts the pay gap, with Irish women in their twenties earning
approximately 90% of what their male colleagues do; those aged between 35-44
years earn 71.5% of what their male colleagues do, with these figures declining
further for women aged in their fifties and sixties.
The study also revealed that
there is a greater likelihood for Irish women than men to take low paid work.
Sure the old ideologies of being ‘a kept woman’ are acceptable, but ‘a kept
man’ severely dints the ego and so ensures the majority of men want to snap up
the work in the higher pay bracket (and
bring home the bacon!). Sidestepping all egotistical reasons for refusing
lower paid work, the minor issue of an economic crisis, fewer job
opportunities, and high unemployment rates would suggest that one, gender
aside, would take any job should one present itself.
Following the revelation of the
17% gender pay gap in Ireland, Orla O’Connor, Chief Executive of the National
Women’s Council said of this: “The gap
between women’s and men’s earning needs to be reduced. As the Government
persists with its austerity measures, it is vital that actions to improve the
position of women in our society are not sidelined.”
President Michael D Higgins, an
advocate for progressive change on equal pay for women, alluded to the fact
that women outperform men in educational attainment and that the highest
percentage of women graduates in Europe are Irish. He also cited that women should be given a
greater role in the new economic model that is being built in Ireland to
replace the one that has failed. Here, Here Michael!
But the reality of the situation
remains, men do earn more than women and the reasons for suggesting they do are
pitiful. Both men and women should remain on equal footing on the pay scale.
Women left the aprons, dusters and the comfort of the kitchen sink years ago,
they are an extremely well educated demographic in Ireland and so their wages
should reflect this. They undoubtedly deserve the same pay packet that their
male counterparts enjoy.
On a final note, if we revisit
our current economic climate, and those responsible for creating this economic
crisis, the greed which engulfed the nation, the demise of the banking sector
and property market, and those political figures ‘responsible’ for leading our
country during that time..... Excuse the generalisation but it may be fitting
to point out that the majority of these figures were men! Women have not been afforded the opportunity
to fill many key decision making roles where the health and recovery of our
economy is concerned. And if these
studies are to be believed, men are more expensive to employ; so if the government
aren’t willing to tackle the gender pay gap, here’s a suggestion... employ more
females in key roles, and save yourself a few quid in the meantime! (Now that’s
Budget 2012 sorted and as we’re also deemed the superior gender when it comes
to education attainment – I’m sure that’s the economic crisis sorted too...
Move over Enda!)
The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 4 March 2012
