The Existing Salary Gaps

The existing salary gaps

Introduction

The salary gap is the imbalance between the average salary of employees and employees, based on the percentage of the average salary of men. That is, when the value of male and female work is the same but the salary does not. The fundamental right to equal remuneration has been defended since 1919 by ILO (International Labor Organization). There are strong studies of relevant organizations and public administrations that confirm that the salary differences between women and men have more to do with prejudices and stereotypes than with objective reasons. 

In any case, correcting and overcoming these discriminatory practices requires a determined will of the whole society as a whole and, of course, the support of companies and public authorities. According to the definition of Eurostat, the gender gap not adjusted to the individual characteristics that can explain part of the salary mismatches between men and women, is the imbalance between the gross salary per male and female hour, expressed as a percentage of the gross salary per hourof the men. Eurostat calculates it only for employees who work in units of 10 and more workers and in the profit per hour includes the overtime payments carried out.

Developing

Excludes extraordinary bonuses. Statistical data related to the salary gap in Spain: after the review and complicated analysis of the INE data in 2017 on Spanish work reality, it can be confirmed that the half gross salary of women stood at 20.

607.85 euros in 2017 when rising 2.4 % compared to the previous year, above 1.8 % that rose from men, up to 26.391.84 euros, which reduced the gender gap at 21.9 %. In addition, according to the data of the Annual Salary Structure Survey published in June 2019, the National Statistics Institute (INE), the total average salary was at 23.646.5 euros, after raising 2.1 %.

On the other hand, the difference in salaries by sex decreases if the profit per hour is compared, so that women went from entering 21.9 % less than men, to perceive 13.5 % less. And this gap is also reduced, says the INE, if similar jobs are compared, that is, in the same occupation, type of contract or type of day, among others. Thus, if the salary distribution is taken into account, there were more women (18.8 % of them) who had lower or equal income than the minimum interprofessional salary (SMI) in 2017 -which was 707.60 euros -, compared to 7.8 % of men. On the contrary, if the highest wages are taken into account.

The proportion of men who reached or exceeded 5 times the SMI (8.0 %) than women (4.2 %). Therefore, in total, in 2017 the medium salary (the one that divides the number of workers into two parts, those who have an upper salary and those that have a lower one) reached 19.830.12 euros (2 % more), while the most frequent was 17.482 euros (5.9 % more). It is also convenient to know that there are different ways to find the salary gaps. The methods that are regularly used are the gender salary gap based on the average that contrasts the average hourly salary of workers, and the gender -based gender -based wage gap.

Contrast the central value of the salary distribution of employees with the central value of employees’ salary distribution. They also glimpse, more distinctions when making contrasts using monthly salaries instead of salaries per hour, since employees group more work in a reduced time. Thus, the methodology that ILO adopted in its World Wage Report 2018/19 was the salary gap weighted by factors since it admits comparisons between employees and employees that have similar characteristics. Using this technique it is observed that the gender wage gap per hour worldwide is 19% and in Spain of 14.9%.

In conclusion, the salary gap persists and remains regardlessthat end the same. Sectors in which the salary gap is more and less high: the INE explains that, although for both sexes the best and worse remunerated occupations are the same, in almost all areas the workers have obtained a salary lower than that of the workers especiallyIn the manufacturing industry, with the exception of qualified workers in the agricultural, livestock, forestry and fishing sector.

Women concentrate on sectors and occupations that, in general, are worse paid and less valued. This fact is accentuated by stereotypes that continue to exist on the choice of academic training, the social assessment of professions and the economic quantification of tasks. Thus, there is a high proportion of women in branches of activity or sectors such as education (67%of the total employment of the sector), Health and Social Services (78%), people used in homes (88%), immobile activities(56%), administrative activities and auxiliary services (54%) and other services (66%). 

An aspect to review is the progressive withdrawal of the men of the professions linked to education (33%), Health (22%), people used of households (12%) as a result of that pressure of stereotypes. This is observed in the fact that the workers, in general, occupy worse paid positions and draws attention to the high presence of women in the category of “elementary occupations”, constituting 19% of the total number of salaried people, as observedIn the following table on "Salarized people by type of occupation and sex in Spain". The result is that women tend to take care of jobs that require.

Supposedly, lower levels of qualification. Men and women’s activity sector. Absolute distribution Activity %. Total 10.266 55% 100 8.559 45% 100. Agriculture, Livestock, Silviculture and Fisheries 625 76% 6% 195 24% 2% Extractive Industries 31 94% 0% 2 6% 0%. Manufacturing industry 1.776 74% 17% 618 26% 7%. Supply of electric power, gas, steam and air conditioning. Water supply, saintaining activities, waste management and decontamination. Construction 1.029 91% 10% 99 9% 1%. Wholesale and Retail;Reporting motor vehicles and motorcycles. Transport and storage 759 81% 7% 177 19% 2%. 

Hospitality 762 47% 7% 875 53% 10%. Information and communications 404 69% 4% 181 31% 2%. Financial and insurance activities 232 52% 2% 215 48% 3%. Real estate activities 57 44% 1% 72 56% 1%. Professional, scientific and technical activities 504 52% 5% 473 48% 6%. Administrative activities and auxiliary services 428 46% 4% 507 54% 6%. Public administration and defense;Compulsory Social Security 756 59% 7% 536 41% 6%. Education 416 33% 4% 844 67% 10%. Health and Social Services Activities 346 22% 3% 1.219 78% 14%. Artistic, recreational and entertainment activities 227 59% 2% 159 41% 2%. Other services 156 34% 2% 297 66% 3%. 

Household activities as domestic personnel employers. Activities of extraterritorial organizations and organizations 1 25% 0% 3 75% 0%. Factors that provide the salary gap: There are multiple factors that are understood as the cause of the salary gap between men and women, and all of them should never be defended as reasons for this unfair situation to continue surviving throughout the decades. After the study of the data that different organizations will highlight: Distinction of jobs and sectors for women and men. There are sectors, such as education, social issues and health, which are especially linked to women.

But there is also the ‘special’ circumstance that these are those that have minor salaries. On the other hand, women are still the main ones in charge of family work not paid as well as the care of relatives in a situation of dependency. This series of factors cause females to look avocado to opt for part -time and poorly paid jobs. Salary Systems and Labor Practices. There are clear gender imbalance samples when receiving certain formations and even salary accessories. Thus, it is very common that most of the bonuses or extra payments are for men, since it is understood by entrepreneurs that their performance is much greater.

Discrimination in the workplace: according to Judith Astelarra, labor discrimination begins directly based on unequal treatment with women with respect to men. This discrimination exists, it says, although it is prohibited by the legislation of the European Union. In addition, indirect discrimination also occurs that refers to neutral practices that end in an unequal treatment with workers. For example, organizing training courses after work at late hours can exclude employees who, although they would love to attend, they cannot hollow it because of their odor domestic chores. Reconciling work and family life. 

Domestic and family chores force many employees to work at smaller and worse salaries. In this way, they accept in most cases the partial tie contains to be able to compatible family with work. A must automatically activates, although unwanted, paralysis in their professional development, since women are fooked to sacrifice their professional careers for the care of children or home. Cape, G. Scarce assessment of female work and capacities. María Bustelo defends that in the mostly female works, salaries are usually lower. 

While, work that requires greater physical strength, mostly male, are better paid. Meanwhile, the capacities that are traditionally related to women are undervalued ‘because it is believed that they reflect characteristics and not acquired capacities and competences’. This unfair and patriarchal principle can be sufficient to justify a smaller female salary. Reduced female representation in high positions. Women are barely represented in the highest work scales. In this way, just 16% of women are present in the administration of the most important companies in our country.

And only 12% in the dome of the largest companies. Traditional attitudes and gender roles. Traditions and gender roles can determine the role that women play in society from a very early age. For example, in the choice of studies done by boys and girls, curiously coinciding the studies chosen by girls with whom they will be worse paid. Responsibility of the business field. A total business insensitivity is observed on the implementation of measures to close the existing work gaps. In addition, interested maintenance of that retrograde perspective.

That defends that care are women’s tasks or that motherhood can hinder the training and execution of labor tasks;They manifest as a barrier sometimes impassable to achieve work equality. Ramos, Mº A. Solutions to reduce the salary gap: In the different studies that are carried out on the salary gap, the causes are analyzed, the gap from different variables (contract, day, professional classification) is analyzed).  To eradicate the gap it is necessary to know the origin and reasons for its persistence, but it is also necessary. Perhaps it is the most effective and in which progress has been most. 

Education is one of the most efficient to achieve equality between men and women. Also to reduce the salary gap. Its main function is to see the children that the allocation of traditional roles where man works and the woman stays at home taking care of the children seems already a thing of the past, and thus achieving that the new generations understandFrom the naturalness that their parents know how to do and do everything on equal terms. Blind curriculum. Many times discrimination occurs in the first step of the selection of candidates for a job. If he is female and is of age to have children, many times his candidacy is discarded. 

They do not even review their achievements, experience or capacity. It is understood that it is not suitable for the position and is automatically ruled out. Therefore, a blind curriculum is defended, without photos, or gender or age, so that only merits are valued. Definition of jobs according to technical competences. The salary gap would be reduced if the jobs depend on the technical, professional or training skills and not on other circumstances such as time availability or the possibility of traveling, in which it is assumed that women can present more difficulties in that they canabsent from your home. Salary variables according to productivity. 

On many occasions most of the salary inequalities between workers are not located the base salary, but in salary accessories. Therefore it would be very interesting. the evaluation and review of these supplements to apply them according to the productivity of the employee/or. End the inherited structures of the past. Gender segregations in the structure of the workforce, as well as in the definition of jobs is inherited in many occasions of retrograde mentalities more typical of other moments in history. Legislation and employer should articulate a series of mandatory measures to eradicate this type of practices.

conclusion

They place women in a limited workplace and with little decision power. Promotion of workers with a reduced day. In view of the fact that in most cases, who access the reduced day for the care of children is usually the woman (due to their lower salary), legislation should allow companies to value and favor men or womenthat decide to reduce their workday in later promotions or promotion. Many of these prejudices can be eradicated with policies that are committed to reconciliation and end presentism. For this, smaller schedules should be articulated, without split conferences, betting on the possibility of teleworking.

Invest in aid for nurseries in the companies of . In short, productivity should be defended above work hours that can be computed for a worker in their job. All these measures need a determined legislative pulus that favors companies with better results and spectative in relation to the salary gap or with more parity in the positions of responsibility, etc. But reforms or norms would also be necessary that somehow ‘force’ men to the raising of their children or the maintenance of their home.