The World Needs Women’s Work – Time to Close Ireland’s Gender Pay Gap

Labour Senator and spokesperson on Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, Ivana Bacik has marked the first-ever UN International Equal Pay Day (18^th September 2020) by calling for government action to close Ireland’s gender pay gap.

Senator Bacik said:

“Today on, the inaugural International Equal Pay Day, we must renew our efforts to achieve equal pay for equal work.

“The pandemic has exacerbated gender inequalities throughout society. Shutting down the economy has most severely affected sectors that employ women in higher numbers. Recent cases include the terrible developments affecting Debenhams workers and those affected by the closure of St. Mary’s and St. Monica’s nursing homes in Dublin.

“For families who have been able to work from home, evidence already suggests that the burden of unpaid domestic work still falls to women; this is more pronounced for single parent families.

“An enduring form of gender inequality persists for men and women working in the same jobs. At present, Ireland’s gender pay gap stands at about 14%. Without taking account of the destructive effects of Covid-19, it is estimated that Ireland will take 55 years to close this gap. Such a pace of change would see girls currently in primary school earning less than their male schoolmates at the time they retire!

“Lockdown has revealed new possibilities, in terms of flexible hours and working from home. These arrangements are likely to suit many women; however, moves to part-time work and flexible hours should only affect an individual’s salary, not their hourly rate of pay.

“Ireland passed equal pay legislation in Ireland 46 years ago, and we have still not achieved anything resembling pay parity. The previous government failed to progress legislation that I introduced in 2017 to address this. The Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2017 would require medium to large-sized companies to regularly publish wage transparency surveys to highlight any difference in pay between male and female workers.

“I am calling on this government to pass meaningful legislation to close Ireland’s gender pay gap. The world is dependent on women’s work. It is time to remunerate it accordingly.”