WOMEN have a long way to go in terms of equal wages, with Cyprus still having the biggest gender pay gap in Europe.
Along with Estonia, according to a recent Eurostat report the island has been named and shamed as having the biggest gap in men’s and women’s wages, with a 25 per cent difference in earnings.
Even worse is the slow progress the island has shown in covering the gap, with 1994’s figures showing a 33 per cent gender pay gap in Cyprus.
Other big gaps include Germany (22 per cent), and Finland and the UK, both showing a 20 per cent gap in earnings of men and women.
Eurostat’s gender pay gaps were estimated by the difference between average hourly pay for women and men across the EU before tax.
The population used to carry out the survey consists of all paid employees aged 16-64 that are ‘at work 15+ hours per week’.
The pay gaps were estimated based on several data sources, including the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), the EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) and national sources.
AKEL MP and Chairman of the House Gender Equality Committee, Sotiroulla Charalambous, expressed her great concern over the matter, though she was not surprised.
“This is a matter that has always concerned AKEL and as a party we have suggested it be discussed at Parliament, because the necessary measures to ensure equal pay are not being taken,” she told the Mail
“The matter was discussed in three sittings and the special report is now ready. The bill will be submitted to the Plenum for approval after the summer recess,” Charalambous added.
“We believe the Eurostat results are extremely worrying, we are especially concerned over the fact that the rate in which the situation improves in Cyprus is one per cent per year. So if we continue at this rate, it will take another 25 to 30 years to cover the difference and this is just not acceptable.”
The AKEL deputy called on the Labour Ministry to “finally turn its words into action and take practical measures to ensure employers are offered equal wages. Regular checks on employers should be carried out, while special supervisors should be appointed to monitor companies. And of course we need to increase public awareness and information.”
Antigoni Papadopoulou of DIKO was equally concerned.
“We believe that a lot needs to be done on the sector of gender equality,” she said yesterday.
“I believe we need a more friendly working culture in Cyprus. Ways need to be found to reconcile family life with working life and this can be done by offering motives to employers.
“We believe employers found breaking the law should be named and shamed. Or maybe in a more positive way, the names of those employers offering total equality in pay should be published and praised, and used as role models,” Papadopoulou added.
“We have very good legislation in Cyprus; it is one of the most modern in the world. The laws are there, they are just not being implemented,” she pointed.
Closing the pay gap
ACCORDING TO an announcement by the European Commission regarding the Eurostat report, across the EU economy, women earn an average of 15 per cent less than men.
“It reflects ongoing discrimination and inequality in the labour market which, in practice, mainly affects women,” read the announcement.
“Girls out-perform boys at school and more women enter the labour market with a university degree than men, but a pay gap of 15 per cent persists. This is an absurd situation and needs to change,” said Vladimir Spidla, the EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
He added: “The pay gap is a complex issue with multiple causes. Sometimes we see pure discrimination. But often reasons are hidden: women do more unpaid work, like taking care of the household and dependants; more women work part time and often the female-dominated sectors are on a lower pay scale.
“We must shift up a gear now. The only way to succeed is by getting men and women, NGOs, social partners and governments on board to tackle the problem at all levels.”
According to the EC, the gender pay gap extends beyond the question of equal pay for equal work.
“Jobs requiring similar qualifications or experience tend to be paid less when they are dominated by women than by men. For example, in some countries nannies earn less than car mechanics, supermarket cashiers less than warehouse workers, nurses less than the police,” said the EC.
The pay gap also reflects inequalities on the labour market mainly affecting women – in particular the difficulties in reconciling work with private life. Women have greater recourse to part-time work and more frequent career breaks, which negatively impact on their professional development.
They still lag behind when it comes to holding managerial positions and they encounter more obstacles and resistance as they proceed along their career paths. As a consequence, women’s career paths are more often interrupted, slower and shorter, and hence less well paid than men’s.
Statistics show that the pay gap grows with age, education and years of service – differences in pay are over 30 per cent in the 50-59 age group and seven per cent for the under-30s; it is over 30 per cent for those with third-level education and 13 per cent among those with lower level secondary education and for workers with over 30 years of service in a company it is as high as 32 per cent, while it is 10 per cent lower for those who have worked in a company for one to five years.
The EC identified four fields of action to tackle the issue:
l Ensuring better application of existing legislation
l Fighting the pay gap as an integral part of Member States’ employment policies
l Promoting equal pay among employers, especially through social responsibility
l Supporting exchange of good practices across the EU and involving the social partners
