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A GROUP REPRESENTING Irish employers has lodged a submission with the Department of Justice in advance of tomorrow’s budget calling for a ‘comprehensive’ approach to gender pay reporting.
Ibec, the group in question, says it ‘supports the objective of addressing barriers to the socio-economic equality of genders in Ireland’.
The issue of a gender-pay gap, and gender equality in general in the workplace, has been a hot topic issue in recent times with the revelation that significant gaps exist in pay levels between genders at state broadcaster RTÉ, among other examples.
Ibec’s submission, which can be read in full here, proposes using a reporting tool similar to the Australian model of gender pay reporting (which would first see such reporting introduced to larger companies of greater than 250 employees, before bringing smaller employers into the fold).
It adds that ‘significant interventions’ are required in Ireland’s education system and teacher training to address issues like gender stereotyping and role-modelling.
It adds that ‘societal focus on the role of gender stereotypes and norms which influence the roles women and men hold in our country needs to occur if we are to further challenge the work and non-work opportunities available to all’.
The submission also focuses on the issue of affordable childcare as being ‘essential’ to the rectification of gender pay imbalances.
“We believe that gender pay gap reporting, if conducted using an appropriate method that takes into account the size and scale of a business, has the potential to offer a real diagnostic tool to highlight the issue,” said Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy.
In addition to gender pay gap reporting, we believe that a whole-of-society approach to the issue of gender pay and gender balance is needed.
Reporting alone will not identify or solve the myriad of structural, cultural and policy causes for the differences in participation rates and the employment gaps between genders.
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The last paragraph says the reporting won’t solve the gender pay gay.
That’s right because the gender pay gap doesn’t exist and the theory has been debunked numerous times.
There is an earnings gap due to men/women working in different types of industry as well as many mothers working part time hours.
@gjpb: also can this reporting include revenue from other areas such as state benefits where some may choose to either work less hours and therefore less pay in order to receive them and also some who choose to take time off yet receive state aid to do so (although this is only available to one gender) all of these should be taken into account along with other benefits in kind such as housing/ medical card etc
Why can’t people admit that men and women are different. Men are better at some things and women are better at some things.
@Nick Allen: Brave statement, you must have offended someone with it. You’re spot on though. Being different isn’t a bad thing at all
@Nick Allen: yes you’re right but in equal work there should be equal pay.
@Hans Vos: there is.. it has been shown repeadly there is.. it is already illegal to pay a woman less in the same job as a man.. that is already illegal..
Pay gap myth took all the women and all the men and got an average.. didn’t look at hours worked or time off..and actually when that is taken into account as it was in a new study in America it found women aged between 18-35 were actually paid more.
If you are paid less for a completely equal job and u have the same qualifications as a man, your place is in court…
@Kris Kendellen: it is revealed that there is significant gaps between gender at RTE.
So it seems that not all is hunky dory if we can believe the news.
@Hans Vos: It has not been shown that. That was spin. It was shown that lower rated TV personalities are – rightly – paid lower wages. The TV and Movie industries work very differently to normal PAYE workers. They work on negotiated contracts with Agents and unions. It is the same with theatre and music. The amount you earn is negotiated in your contract – normally by your agent so you can keep your nose clean – and if you are more popular you get paid more because the station wants to keep you more. If the women in question did not like their fee – they can walk to another station / get a better agent / be more popular and invaluable to the station. But to say it is because they are women is, in my opinion, rather simplistic and ill-informed opinion of how that industry works.
When I see an expose of a private company paying equally qualified women less – I will be outraged. So far it is simply ignorant people falling for poor propaganda from the media.
@Kris Kendellen: minister Flannegan agreed that there is a problem in Ireland an also with RTE . So I don’t call that spin but reality. Even RTE confirmed that the gap between news readers is significant and smells of a gendercap. So Imo it is not simplistic nor I’ll.informed.
@Hans Vos: yeah, because our ministers would never lie. A read of the methodology behind any study supporting the gender pay gap is enough to discredit it. There are no controls for variables, it’s junk and the conclusion is built on confirmation bias. There is a problem with salaries overall in RTE, none of it based on gender. Add in controls, the gap shrinks with each control. At most it is about 1-2% nationally.
So they are going to introduce mandatory overtime for women? And gender quotas in teaching from the sounds.
@Jeffrey McMahon: Plenty of women work mandatory overtime. I didn’t realise we all got to go home once our allotted hours of work are up, I must be missing a trick.
@Lisa Saputo: if you are missing a trick I must be missing 7 or 8.
Ask 100 women should the man pay for dinner, vast majority say yes. Ask 100 women should there be equal pay, vast majority say yes. You can’t have it both ways ladies!!!
@Colm: Have a look at first dates..one guy wanted to split the bill and girl wouldn’t meet him again purely for that reason.. girls hitting men is acceptable, if man hits back he is attacked.. Comedy movie recently released about group of women who murder a male stripper is considered hilarious, think you will see a comedic view taken for the reverse ?
All domestic abuse posters and rape posters have male aggressors only.. a man spreading his legs on a bus or train now illegal in Sweden.. but women taking over seats with bags etc is fine.
There is inequality alright.
There’s no proof that the gender pay gap is based on discrimination. So there’s no proof it’s an issue. Men earning more than women on average makes sense given our typical differences in behaviour in the working world.
Keep in mind I’m talking about averages when it comes to the workplace specifically. Do not presume I’m ignoring all the hard working professional women out there, and all the hardworking mothers, and all the women who are both.
Need to review maternity leave as other countries have done so that it can be split between the mother or the father based on what suits for them.
Why do articles like these keep appearing? News outlets are actually embarrassing themselves reporting on this non-existent issue. I don’t know how many times these “pay-gap perpetrators” need to be reminded that their study does not take into account all of the factors that impact on the gap’s existence such as differences in education, number of hours worked, job sector, position. My face and palm hurt!!!
@Mr. H: Agenda..
Radical idea, spend the money on a real issue like homelessness or healthcare rather than an already debunked statistics screw up.
I listened to a woman say she was blessed with a son and a daughter as opposed to having two of the same sex. Then went on to say how much their children were treated differently. The girl was doted on by the father.
I was blessed by a daughter and then I was delighted and blessed by another daughter. They in turn were blessed by sons.
Children are a blessing but it could take a while for the gender gap to close.
@Gillian Weir Scully: There is no pay gap. It is a complete myth.
@GunsGerms: I just found my my colleague, same level, who left the job last week was on 12 grand more than me!
@Tricia Golden: If you have the same Qualifications and experience, and his wage was not a result of being with the company longer and getting promotions – you have a case against your company. That would be gender based discrimination.
If you did not have his level of experience or fewer qualifications – this proves there is not gender pay gap. If you had the better qualifications and exp you would be paid higher.
So, if you are of equally standing – I would make an appointment with your HR and tell them if they do not match your wages from the date of employment to an equally qualified man you will be filling with the EAT and you will win.
have your say