Hi teachers and classmates, today I will talk about Gender Pay Gap

Throughout the history of the world, discrimination has been a consistent

problem in society, whether the discrimination is race, gender, religion, beliefs,
appearance, or anything else. One type of discrimination is Gender inequality,
which is discrimination based on the gender of the person. It is a social
problem in which men and women are not treated equally. It has been around
for centuries, or even thousands of years, being the first record of this 8000
years ago. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology,
psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in society. Some of these distinctions
are empirically grounded, while others appear to be social constructs. Gender
inequality weakens women in many areas such as health, education, and the
workplace.
In the workplace, this type of discrimination can create a phenomenon named
the "Gender Pay Gap"
The definition of the gender pay gap is the average difference between the
remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally
found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct numbers regarding the
pay gap: non-adjusted versus adjusted pay gap. It is typically taken into
account differences in hours worked, occupations chosen, education, and job
experience, using the adjusted version of statistical data
This phenomenon occurs all around the world and Portugal isn't an exception
11.4%
In Portugal, the wage gap between men and women increased from 10.9% in
2019 to 11.4% in 2020 (that was the most recent data that I found on the EU
website). The value corresponds to a loss of 51 days of paid work for women
The value recorded in 2020 is still three percentage points higher than that
calculated in 2006. This means that instead of evolution, there was a setback
in this topic, compared to 8.4% recorded in 2006. In fact, in 2015, the number
almost doubled, standing at 16%.
l It is necessary to go back 19 years to reach the lowest value in terms of
wage inequality between men and women. The (harsh) reality is that equal
work still does not give the right to equal pay between genders, as would be
expected in the middle of 2023. This problem — which the statistics released
by various entities prove — will only come to an end in 135.6 years, in 2159
reveals the World Economic Forum in the “Global Gender Gap Report 2021”.
So all of us will no longer be around to witness the end of the gender pay
gap.
“Another generation of women will have to wait for gender parity (…). While
the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to be felt, closing the global
gender gap has been postponed from 99.5 to 135.6 years”.
The truth is that in Portugal, although they continue to receive lower wages
compared to their male peers, women have the highest levels of education.
“Higher education has been expanding over the last few decades and, in
2020, women aged between 25 and 34 were more likely than men to pursue a
university career in all EU countries”, can read the report “Education at a
Glance 2021″.
In Portugal, 49% of women in this age group had a university degree,
compared to 35% of their male peers. The average of the EU countries,
although also distant, is a little higher, in the order of 52% and 39%,
respectively.
Europe/world
Portugal, compared to the other countries of the European Union, is placed in
14th place, above the average of the European Union. In the first place, we
have Luxembourg with the lowest gender pay gap, and in last place, Latvia. A
narrower pay gap does not necessarily mean more gender equality, however.
It often occurs in countries with low rates of female employment.
Compared with the OECD countries, Portugal is in 21st place, Costa Rica in
the first place, and the Republic of Korea in last place
The gender pay gap has many causes, besides the main one,
discrimination
Part-time work
On average, women do more hours of unpaid work, such as childcare or
housework.
This leaves less time for paid work. According to figures from 2020, almost
one-third of women (30%) work part-time, while only 8% of men work
part-time. When both unpaid and paid work is considered, women work more
hours per week than men.
Career choices influenced by family responsibilities
Women are also much more likely to be the ones who have career breaks: in
2018, a third of employed women in the EU had a work interruption for
childcare reasons, compared to 1.3% of men. Some career choices made by
female workers are influenced by care and family responsibilities.
More women in low-paying sectors
About 30% of the total gender pay gap can be explained by an
overrepresentation of women in relatively low-paying sectors, such as care,
sales, or education, However. The number of women in science, technology,
and engineering has increased. Women accounted for 41% of the workforce
in 2020.
Fewer and less-paid female managers
Women also hold fewer executive positions: in 2020 they made up a third
(34%) of managers in the EU. If we look at the gap in different occupations,
female managers are at the greatest disadvantage: they earn 31% less per
hour than male managers
Impact
First, the gender pay gap has a significant impact on the financial stability of
women. Women earn less than men, and this disparity accumulates over their
working lives, leading to a significant difference in retirement savings and
overall financial security. This can result in women being less able to support
themselves and their families, and relying more on government assistance or
charitable organizations.
Second, the gender pay gap perpetuates gender inequality and reinforces
gender stereotypes. It sends a message that women's work is valued less
than men's work and that women are not as capable as men. This can lead to
further discrimination and bias in the workplace, as well as a lack of motivation
for women to pursue careers in male-dominated fields.
Third, the gender pay gap has a negative impact on the economy as a whole.
When women earn less, they have less money to spend, which can reduce
demand for goods and services and slow economic growth. Additionally, if
women are forced to retire earlier or take time off work to care for family
members, this can result in a shortage of skilled workers and increased labor
costs for businesses.
Finally, the gender pay gap affects society as a whole, as it undermines the
principle of equal pay for equal work. This can lead to widespread feelings of
unfairness and frustration, and can negatively impact social cohesion and trust
in institutions.

Measures
Because of this scenario, at the European level, measures were presented to
eliminate the wage gap. In 2019, Parliament approved the new directive on
reconciling work and family life that introduces new rules on paternity and
parental leave at the European level to increase the employment rate of
women, create incentives for fathers to take family leaves, and promote
gender equality and equal opportunities.
In a resolution on the EU Strategy for Gender Equality, adopted on 21 January
2021, MEPs presented an ambitious new action plan on the gender pay gap,
which sets clear targets for Member States to reduce the gender pay gap. and
women in the next five years.
In the resolution, MEPs call for an annual review of the application of this
directive by the European Commission. They also urge EU countries to take
measures that go beyond the directive, such as promoting flexible working
time arrangements.
The European Parliament is in favor of abolishing the traditional allocation of
jobs and activities to a certain gender and the adoption of concrete measures
that facilitate the enrollment of women and girls in areas of education and
employment traditionally dominated by men.
Conclusion
Ending with Gender Pay Gap has so many benefits, including stopping this
unfair discrimination that exists even tho we are in the 21 Century
Valuing women for the work they do, acknowledging them as equals to their
male colleagues, and compensating them accordingly reduces their risk of
falling into poverty, increases access to high-quality child and medical care,
schools, and both higher and early childhood education, and even help
women with their mental health, because women can feel exhausted due to
the fact that they have to do extra hours to compensate the gender pay gap.
Only by working together can we achieve true equality and close the gender
pay gap.

Stfu and make me a sandwich