Gender Pay Gap Still A Problem, Women Working For Free For Rest Of The Year


The gender pay gap is still a problem, as publications report that women will be working for free for the rest of the year. The information is taken from the reduction in pay that women receive, even when they do the same roles to the same abilities as men.

On average, women are paid 14.2 percent less than their male counterparts every year in Britain, according to The Independent. The pay gap between genders is a problem worldwide, though. It is despite British law stating that men and women should be treated equally when it comes to pay for doing the same roles. This law was introduced 40 years ago.

Women Work For Free Until January As Gender Pay Gap Still An Issue
Photo by Douglas Miller/Keystone/Getty Images

Campaigners in Britain have made November 9, Equal Pay Day, as it is the day every year that it is clear the gender pay gap is still a problem. The TUC, one of the unions, estimates that while one in seven men will receive £50,000 annually or more working full-time, only one in 15 women receive that.

While campaigners want to see the pay gap become completely equal, there are arguments against the campaign. Critics of the campaign say that women leaving the workplace to have children mean that they can end up taking a pay cut. They return with skills and abilities that are out of date, meaning that they have areas to improve. If their skills are out of date, then they should be paid less, according to critics. The fact that women leave the workplace also distort the figures, since they are paid nothing while being stay-at-home moms, but are still included.

There are further concerns as the gender pay gap means women will effectively work for free for the rest of the year. Some still have the view that women should do the housework and raise the children. There are fewer men who take a break from their work, and the pressure falls on women. Some wonder whether women have really made strides over the last century or so of campaigning for equal rights.

The Telegraph shares Joan Collins’ view of the movement for women. While women should celebrate being able to do things that only their mothers and grandmothers could dream of doing, things have not really changed. They are still expected to do the cooking, cleaning and child-raising, while also working or running a business. Even women who are the main breadwinners in the family end up doing two-thirds of the housework in Britain.

“We should celebrate being women and having the opportunities to do things that our mothers and grandmothers were not allowed to do. They were expected to stay at home and do the cooking and the cleaning. Though now, of course, we are expected to do the cooking and the cleaning and the working.”

Women Work For Free For Rest Of Year Due To Gender Pay Gap
Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images

Raising children and caring for the elderly has meant that many women work part-time. The TUC found that women who do work part-time end up with 34 percent less on an hourly basis compared to men who work full-time. The figures for men working part-time were not available, leading to more critics.

It would be expected for a woman to earn less when they do less work than men. Those who work part-time are already effectively working for free. The Equal Pay Day to highly the gender pay gap for part-timers would have been on August 28.

Next year may see a change in the gender pay gap. Companies that have 250 or more employees will be required to publish their earning figures, showing the pay gap as it really is. Women will finally be able to place themselves on an equal footing, since they will be able to see if there really is a gap between them and their male counterparts. However, Equal Pay Day campaigners worry that it will do nothing as company bosses find reasons to keep the gender pay gap the way it is.

[Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images]

Share this article: Gender Pay Gap Still A Problem, Women Working For Free For Rest Of The Year
More from Inquisitr