Did you know that the pay gap in Egypt between men and women reached 33% during 2019, while the wage gap globally was about 29%? A huge percentage from which we could easily detect the flaws in our business ecosystem; especially in the human resources pillar.
The alleged discrimination between males and females may neither be a new issue nor less complex over the ages. However, it sadly continues to exit. The notion of gender inequality presents itself in any aspect of work life. Starting from some cases of distinction between a man and a woman in the recruitment process, granting more power to one party at the expense of the other, finally reaching the idea of discrimination in salaries between them.
A while back, a tweet went viral about a girl discussing the idea of the wage gap and how Egyptian women are struggling in that area; expressing the anger wave for the distinction between a man and a woman in salary, even though the two people will carry on the same duties and responsibilities.
Real-Life Situations Proved!
Since women began to occupy various job positions, a series of situations proved the suffering that some people go through. This was proved when people interacted with the tweet for a couple of days. They discussed many other situations that indicate a defect in some companies concerning employment procedures and salaries.
Moreover, the gap wasn’t just exclusive to gender. The tweet also highlighted the concept of “social status” as a contributing factor for males to have more work advantages. Your marital status can now allocate your entitlement to a higher salary or power in your workplace…
Due to statistics, the concept of the wage gap exists all around the world and not just Egypt. Another Twitter user expressed her irritation against this in some Gulf countries. She also emphasized how this reflects the existence of a universal cycle that needs to be broken.
In Dire Need of Solutions
Under the title “Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value,” the UN showed its full support to this issue and declared September 18th of each year as the International Day for Equal Pay.
The UN tackled different aspects of the wage gap issue. Later in 2021, one report estimated the gap to be 23 percent globally. Files like gender equality and women empowerment are in severe decline due to the persistence of unequal historical and structural power relations between men and women.
Poverty, inequality, and deprivation of access to resources and opportunities prove the limitation of women’s capabilities.
The Numbers and Calculations Proved!
The UN research for the pay gap in the United States of America proved that women earn 77 cents versus every dollar man receives. Scientifically, if this gap continues, we will not be able to overcome it or detract from its height seventy years ahead, according to the United Nations published research.
In the second quarter of 2020, 25% of women and 4% of men left the labor market because of coronavirus, and in the third quarter of the same year, only about 40% of these women returned. This comes according to the Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics.
Undoubtedly, steps are being taken towards the right direction, yet it is way too slow to control the gap before it escalates. Egypt climbed five spots to 129 out of 156 countries in 202; according to the annual report that measures the gap WEF_GGGR_2021.pdf (weforum.org)
However, factors such as declining women’s economic participation and the low percentage of political participation show otherwise. We still have A LOT to do to close the gender gap.
The problem requires a global-scale change, especially from those appointment powers in companies, whether in the public or private sector, to help increase the percentage of women empowerment. Where the steps we witness are influential, yet the world needs a series of steps and strict laws to preserve the rights of both parties.
Moving to the final stage, the role of each person in an appointed position. The human resource agents in every company need to focus on assessing the quality of work. It is not about the gender of the one who works. It is about the capabilities and practical experience no one else may have.
Make sure to check the Equal pay for work of equal value | UN Women research for more elaboration on the pay gap between genders!
Did you ever encounter such problems at work? Let us know!
