The salary gap is an issue that is not fully clarified. In recent decades, the presence of women in the workplace has ceased to be an exception to become a daily occurrence.
This is largely due to the fact that at the beginning of this century, many countries around the world introduced the quota law, which required companies to have greater participation by women. Nevertheless, almost 20 years after this, the wage gap is still present
Why do women earn less? 5 causes of the wage gap
The reasons why women receive less income is the subject of many studies. The phenomenon is repeated around the world and the data shows different responses, depending on the methodology applied to carry it out.
However, what everyone agrees on is that this salary gap does not exist (because it is even illegal in some countries) when it comes to the same position and the same activities . In other words, there is no different salary tabulation for men and women.
This important data shows that the difference in income between men and women of productive age is due to multiple factors that go beyond the estimate of a salary that is assigned. The causes of the wage gap are more complex than that.
one. The type of jobs
The type of jobs that concentrate the most hiring of women, register lower wagesThat is to say that in all economic sectors, there are activities that are assigned lower salaries, either because of the little experience or preparation they require, or because in the productive chain, this activity is required to have a lower cost to increase income.
And, coincidentally, these activities have traditionally been assigned to women. This does not mean that men cannot exercise them and that if so they are paid more than the rest. No, this is not the case, however men rarely resort to applying for these jobs, while women apply more frequently and still working the same number of hours than men in other activities, receive a lower salary.
2. Difficult access to high-level positions
High-level jobs and strategic positions continue to be reserved for men. Although the presence of women in the workplace rose from 8% to 44% in the last 15 years, the presence of women in leadership positions continues to lag behind .The figures are encouraging: the latest study by Grant Thornton International revealed that 87% of companies currently have at least one woman in management positions.
Nevertheless, this is still seen as one more reason for the wage gap, because in the race for job advancement, women always lag behind their male peers. This is because there are still prejudices about women's leadership abilities For this reason, you can find many women with the same training and experience than their superiors, but earning less and with no chance of promotion.
3. Care work
Traditionally all the work of caring for children and the sick has fallen on women. When there is a member of the family that requires care, the first option is for the woman to do itIn the case of children, it is the mother. When there is an adult who is sick, such as parents or the elderly, it is still more often the woman who is in charge of caring and attending.
This requires women to combine their work and professional lives with work at home The consequence is that they receive less income due to because it is not possible for them to take overtime and on many occasions, they request leave of absence that has a direct impact on their salary. It is even common for women to request a reduction in their working hours, in order to reconcile work with family life or with care work.
4. Age
The phenomenon of age and the proportion with salary, seems not to have evolved. Historically, men have increased their income as they age, contrary to what happens with womenThis fact has changed in recent decades, but it is a fact that is still present. The salary gap between women who are over 50 today is 27%, but younger women do not have such a wide margin.
And although the trend indicates that in the coming decades, this percentage will drop by up to 4%, the fact is that currently women are receiving less income as advancing in age This is commonly due to the fact that women register long periods of inactivity (due to maternity or caring for the sick or the elderly) or to the lack of updating in their field, frequently due to the same reasons for the difficulty in reconciling work and family life.
5. Maternity
Maternity has become a determining factor for women's income. Several studies claim that the wage gap is smaller while women are single and childless (as low as 4%) but this percentage increases astonishingly when compared to the income of married women who are already mothers with that of married men with children.
This is totally related to the perception when hiring staff or considering a promotion. Currently, it is still considered that a married woman with children does not have the ideal time to dedicate to work, and that her priority is her home, which is why she is considered less suitable for hiring her.
On the other hand, male fathers of families are perceived as people seeking job stability and are more easily taken into account for promotions or new hires.