Understanding the Gender Pay Gap

• The gender pay gap remains a frequent topic in the news.
• Companies often try to contextualize the existence of a gender pay gap when publishing their data.
• Some suggest the gap is simply a fact of life rather than a problem.
• Research identifies four key reasons for the gender pay gap, with flexible and part-time working offering a straightforward solution for most.

Reason 1: More Men in Senior Roles

• More men hold senior positions than women, impacting the gender pay gap since senior roles typically have higher pay.
• The belief that senior jobs require long hours and constant availability hinders flexible or part-time arrangements.
• This is due to a 1950s pattern where men worked while women supported them at home.
• Globalization and technology have made the problem worse by extending the working day.
• Employers with long-hours cultures are often the worst offenders regarding gender pay gaps.
• Despite progress, the gender pay gap hasn't decreased for highly educated women in senior roles in the last 25 years.
• Senior roles should be designed to suit the current workforce, in which 90% desire flexible or part-time work.
• It should accommodate both men and women, parents, and carers.
• Employers cite reasons like client needs, team dependence, expertise, and information loss as barriers to flexible work, but these can be overcome.
• All jobs can be redesigned with imagination and collaboration.

Reason 2: Unequal Sharing of Caring Responsibilities and Part-Time Roles

• Women are often perceived as 'choosing' to care for children.
• They end up in lower-tier part-time jobs with fewer chances for progression.
• The gender pay gap widens after childbirth.
• By the time their first child is 20, the hourly wages of women are about a third below men's.
• Gender differences in part-time/full-time work rates account for over half the gender pay gap, particularly among the highly educated.
• Part-time jobs are often seen as less senior and are automatically lower; this assumption is similar to the first reason
• This suggests that women are responsible for the lower earnings of women and also takes the pressure off employers to do anything about it.
• Societal expectations play a role, with men in the UK finding it harder to request part-time work.
• Nordic countries have seen faster progress through government initiatives that have actively tackled expectation of gender roles .
• Research has shown that over half the younger fathers would sacrifice a job for reduced salary to spend time with their family.
• Employers should overcome cultural biases to encourage men to opt for part-time or flexible work.
• Part-time roles should be more attractive to career-driven individuals.
• Redesigning jobs ensures that part-time work does not equate to more work for less pay.
• They need to redesign jobs at all levels, to ensure that career progression on a part-time basis is not only acceptable, but aspirational.

Reason 3: Women Choosing Low-Paid Roles and Sectors

• Poorly paid jobs are traditionally done by women.
• These jobs often require skills, traditionally regarded as "feminine".
• Women often chose to work as nurses, teachers or shop assistants, while men "chose" to be engineers, construction workers, and surgeons.
• Traditionally female skills are undervalued.
• It is a perceived wisdom that women choose low-paid occupations because they are family friendly
• Again, the perception is that It is a choice to prioritise children over paid work, rather than being due to a lack of viable alternatives
• This positions the gender pay gap as a fact of life and releases employers from changing it.
• Flexible working is the solution to the issues regarding pay-gaps.
• Creating flexible working arrangements that welcomes more women to work in more sectors and giving more men a reason to switch to working part time will build an environment of possibilities.

Reason 4: Pay Differences for the Same Role

• Confusion exists between the equal pay issue and the gender pay gap.
• The gender pay gap is based on the total difference in the average hourly pay rate of either men or women that may be doing the exact same work.
• Paying different amounts for the same job is discrimination.
• Men and women should be paid equally since The Equal Pay Act of 1970.
• Discrimination stems from gender roles.
• Cultural bias, societal assumptions, and workplace progression all contribute to the gender pay gap.
• Flexible job design is key to change.