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RECENT FIGURES SHOW that the gender wage gap widens when professionals are in their twenties and thirties, suggesting that motherhood is a significant contributor.
The figures, released today by the British Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), backed up other findings in both Ireland and the US in relation to the gender pay gap, which is defined as unequal pay for work of equal value, performed with the same skills and qualifications.
The study showed that although the British gender wage gap was at 10% before children, this increased significantly after the birth of a child, and women’s pay fell to a third less than men’s by the time their first child was 12 years old.
By the time their first child reached 20 years of age, women will have been paid an average of four years less than men.
This conforms with statistics from PayScale, an American salary information company, which show that when you compare all women’s salaries to men’s, there is a significant gap between the two sexes.
The gender pay gap in the US means that women earn an average of 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.
But when comparing professionals in similar roles with similar experience, the wage gap narrows. More specifically, when comparing childless single men and women who never prioritise home life over work, the pay gap is non-existent – at 0.0%.
Britain’s specialists’ union Prospect, responded to the IFS’s report by saying that unequal pay and issues around returning to work after maternity leave were significant barriers for working women, and that ignoring this talent impacts negatively on the economy.
Our women members have told us that the lack of good opportunities in part-time or flexible working roles is a significant barrier to their career development, so we’re encouraging employers to think again about how job roles are defined.
Ireland’s gender pay gap
The gender pay gap in the UK is 18% on average, compared to Ireland’s 14.4% across all sectors in April of this year.
In the European context, Ireland ranks better than the European Union average of 16.3% but almost double that of Italy and Hungary and more than double that of Slovenia, Poland and Malta. It is highest in Estonia, Austria and Czech Republic.
In the new programme for government, a commitment to “promote wage transparency by requiring companies of 50 or more to complete a wage survey” was promised to encourage companies to come clean on what they pay their employees.
This forms part of the debate on the role of women in the workplace, along with other recently highlighted issues such as the number of women in senior roles, the requirement for women to wear high heels to some workplaces, and sexual harassment in the workplace.
Another reminder that the children’s hospital is being built in the wrong location. Every time there is an accident on the M50 roads into Dublin cannot manage the level of traffic.
Inside the M50 belt just does not make sense.
@Ciarán McPhillips: such a scary thought for a child to be in an ambulance and caught up on the M50. Disgraceful decision.
@Deborah Behan: We’re sleepwalking our way towards that exact situation. The mind boggles.
No doubt caused by some muppet hammering up the outside/city lanes and then nipping in to go northbound. We need to start a campaign to not let queue jumpers in.
@mcgoo:
Or perhaps allowing queue jumpers in would stop the accidents
Meanwhile here in Leitrim….
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: who cares about a dying county like Leitrim
@Michael Walsh: We are not dying. We’re generally quite happy that we don’t have to become a slave to make a living. Who cares about the septic tank that is Dublin? See…same question.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: As a Dub myself id agree. Dublin is grinding to a standstill as we repeat the mistakes of the Celtic tiger years and continue to vote for political organisations who have their and not the nation as a whole best interests at heart.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: jealous
@quality cheese: Did you post this on your 6 hour journey to work or from bed this morning? Hard to tell…. but “quality cheese”…… your at home
@Michael Walsh: like it or not your taxes keep Leitrim going.
@quality cheese: A tendency to resort to insults shows quite clearly a lack of intellect.
Tailgating is the problem. Its amazing cars doing 140kph tailgating just 1 metre behind the car in front. Amazing breaking system they must have to avoid a crash if the car in front suddenly breaks. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. 1m for every 2kph. Eg a car must leave 200 metres distance at 100 kph.
@Brendan Mason: That and the roads were wet this morning, come this way every morning before 7am.
Speed limit drops from 100 kp to 80 kp, most people dont pay any heed to that.
Many go beyond it.
Zero police enforcement and bad driving skills, welcome to Irish driving!
@Brendan Mason: 1m for every 2kph? Therfore using your formula travelling around 100kph should have a gap of 50m not 200m. Anyway if anyone left a gap of 200m on an Irish motorway they’d be flashed at (lights) and abused by other road users.
@Brendan Mason: The accident happened close to the Luas car park junction before the M50. Given the time of morning the accident occurred, and it being a Monday which is probably the busiest morning of the week anyway, it’s virtually an impossibility that cars were traveling at 140kph, or anywhere remotely close to that speed.
@Tommy Roche: the 140 kph is an example. 4okph may be enough to cause a crash if cars are close enough to each other .
@Brendan Mason: 40 kph sorry.
@Brendan Mason: I drive as part of my job and find that if you do leave a gap to the car in front then you’ll always have a gimp who will try to squeeze their car into that gap meaning you have to jam on the breaks
@Brendan Mason: 1mtr behind a car in front driving at 140kmh? Bit of an exaggeration don’t you think. Most drivers wouldn’t be able to judge 60, 80,100mtrs. Little tip – if you are overtaking in the out most lane try keep right of centre of your lane. You will be able to see the break lights of the second car in front.
@Brendan Mason: if you keep the right distance some mope jumps in in front of you that cuts your distance your bolloxed then . This happens very often rant over
For a lot of tech companies e.g. Facebook, Dell, Amazon, people can work from home quite a bit. With some planning you dont need mega-speed broadband either. Can’t help but think some of these businesses could make the leap to commuter towns and beyond. Clonakility has a multinational, the workers have houses, sea-air, little traffic and are 30 mins from Cork for a bit of life, and the airport also. Not ignoring the lack of routes currently available, but if more large towns within 60 mins of Galway, Limerick and Cork were utilised, how much better would life be for people? It will only take one big tech company to lead the way.
Vomit. How do people put up with this shit everyday of their lives.
Life is short people.
@Ciarán McPhillips: I ment 50 metres for 100 kph.
70 metres for 140 kph etc.
@Brendan Mason: but they are not leaving a fraction of that distance. Gung ho. Flash lights. The road is mine attitude. Slap on the breaks etc.
@Brendan Mason:
Spot on. Clueless behaviour.
H
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