Gender Pay Gap: Understanding the Issue and Legal Regulations

This report discusses the issue of gender pay gap, its impact on society and business, legal regulations related to it, and recommendations for organizations to resolve it. It covers the case of ASOS, a British online fashion retailer, and suggests ways to uplift minimum allowance, promote transparency in payment process, unionize the workplace, provide fair scheduling practices, and improve work-life balance. The report concludes that providing equal wages to both men and women according to their skills and knowledge will create equality and give opportunities to women to expand their education and abilities.

GENDER PAY GAP

TABLE OF CONTENTS
GENDER PAY GAP..................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Understanding the nature of gender pay gap issue:....................................................................3
The legal laws for the gender pay gap:.......................................................................................3
For the organization they can proceed to use the factors for resolving this issue:......................4
Recommendation........................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Gender pay gap define as the average pay difference between the women and men, it
stated that generally women are less paid as compare to the men in every field of occupation
(Botella and et.al 2019). This factor result in many aspects as gender inequality, racism,
ethnicity, educational access etc. ASOS a British online fashion retailer organization main
headquarter is present in London, UK. This report covers the main aim which is about the issue
of gender pay gap and it involves how the organization will benefit in dealing with the issue, it
also covers the legal regulations related to the gender pay gap.
MAIN BODY
Understanding the nature of gender pay gap issue:
Gender pay gap stated as the women are struggled to accomplish the higher paid position
for their work, as in the society women are always considered as delicate and not able to carry
out the toughest work. Gender stereotypes are defined as which states as men should not cry,
they can't be emotional on the other hand for women it is suggested that they are weaker than
men and not able to handle the responsibility as like men. This stereotype also began its impact
on the job profiles, professions, as in many service sector it can be seen that the women are likely
recruited or if they recruited then the salary is provided to them are lesser than the men. It gives
the major impacts on the society as it develop the tough situations for the women mainly for the
single women who need to get financially ahead. Their less earning can't solve their problem in
the emergency situations or after the retirement (Segovia-Pérez and et.al 2019).
For the business purpose it also gives the negative impact, as it develops the negative
work environment in the organization which will affect the performance of the business as well
as affect the productivity. As for the ASOS organization it is important for them to effectively
deal with that issue otherwise they will have to face major vulnerable consequence. As the main
triggers for the gender pay gaps are the gender dissimilarity in education and the wages structure,
all factors influence the gender pay gap.
The legal laws for the gender pay gap:
Equality Act 2010 it is the act which is implemented or come into actions in UK in the year
2017. This law is majorly applied on the public service sector. Regulation standard involves the

more than 250 employers from the volunteer or private sector to disclose their data about their
pay gap. Where the calculation for the gender pay gap are based on the payroll information of the
employer. Before the law has been come into the action there are the relevant legal procedures
which accounts the discrimination that are Race relations act 1976 and disability discrimination
act 1995. Equality act 2010 usually aim to protect the rights of the people from discrimination at
work place, a unfair treatment, discrimination on the basis of gender, race, disability are
considered as the violation of the law (Cortés and Pan, 2019). If the organization are not
following the law properly then they have to face the problem, or can lead the business in closing
direction.
For the organization they can proceed to use the factors for resolving this issue:
Uplift the minimum allowance:
Over representation of the women under minimum allowance work in the service sector leads to
the gender pay gap issue. As it is seen that women are two third of the ratio as compare to men.
As for the ASOS company they can proceed to lift the minimum wages which can help to
decrease the gender pay gap and can be beneficial to uplift the women out of the poverty.
Promote the transparency in the payment process:
As for the working environment if the employee do not know as how their peers are earning, it
negatively impacts the employee behaviour, this factor also discourage them to working
productively for the company. Some organization actively implement the culture in which there
is no allowance for the employee to disclose their compensation information. It is suggested that
if the ASOS organization can implement the work place environment in which the employers
and employee have the right to discuss on the payment procedures it would be beneficial for
them.
Unionize the workplace:
It is the good aspect which can help to reduce the issue as gender pay gap, it is stated that the
women who are working under the union place are expected to earn more as compared to the
women who are working at non-union place. Therefore, for the ASOS they can proceed to
implement the equitable practices for the pay so that women who are working in their
organization does not feel discriminated (Elson, 2017). It will improve the productivity of their
business. It also enables their female workers to feel secured and liable to take benefit of extra
grievances, or paid leave.

To provide the justice practices for scheduling:
As the unpredictable schedule always affect the work place environment and it also gives the
major negative impact on the working females and for the women who have reason for care
dependents. If the company do not have the consistency in their schedule then it is difficult for
the women worker to manage their work and to manage their family (Bishu and Alkadry, 2017).
For the ASOS organization they can proceed to implement the fair scheduling processes which
can be beneficial for them to end the gender pay gap issue, as it will make their employees
enable to ask their employers for the scheduling accommodations. Cost benefit for reducing the
gender pay gap as it encourage the women for work as well as improve the business productivity
which is required for strengthen the global economy. It also helps to make the innovation for the
company as if the employee does not feel that their work are not valued and not consider in the
potential pay then why do they work for the company. Therefore it is important for the ASOS
company to implement the equality at work place so that they will be able to achieve their goals
or objectives.
Enlarge Salaried household and Surgical Leaves : Another action is describes that insufficient
policies and rules of paid family and medical leaves. Women require more parental leaves rather
than men as they have a responsibility to look after the children and other family members after
the work period(Begeny, and et.al., 2020). Most of the company not offer family and medical
leaves to the workers, and women needs to quit the job as they had a responsibility of their
children and relatives. Implementing the both men and women paid leaves to help and motivate a
woman after their first child. At the national level, policies of providing medical insurance and
paid leaves can help to narrow the gender pay by increasing the leaves for employee.
Child Care : A child care is more big-ticket than ever, with the institutional costs raising every
day in many states. These increasing costs of education is creating an unaffordable child care in
many working families especially who are getting minimum wages to run a family expenditures.
Working women can help in expanding the balance by financial sense of household. Most of the
working women has difficulty to think about the care of the children with managing their office
works during the maternity period. A company can provide a maternity leaves and also an
opportunity to work in an office which can help them to maintain their expenditure and care of a
child. Increasing the access to child care can help to narrow the gender gap by giving a chance to

working mothers in the office. It will also make help for working parents to balance the demands
of the families in a better way.
Judging employee on pay history : Many of the companies negotiate an employee salary by
looking at the past payroll of an individual. This activity mostly affect a woman in a workforce.
In previous job, a woman is already a target of gender pay gap with the comparison to male
employee and now on the basis of pay history they will judge and will be provided a salary
according to the previous pay role. In some company, it is a strategy of hiring a woman by their
past salary and make a mentality about their abilities and skills. Instead of paying a salary
according the history, an industry should provide a salary by judging their ability, skill and
experience know;edge as these activities will make a growth of a company and it will decrease
the mentality of gender pay roll in a society.
Improve work life balance : According to the Europe Institute of gender Equality, a better and
good balance of life can help to decrease the gender pay gap. When woman found to give an
opportunity to work in offices they will have a more responsibility of being focus on maintaining
the balanced life(Cervone, and et.al., 2021). It will create a flexible work surrounding in the
company and attracts the working woman and parents to make a balance with the positive impact
on all the workers either men or woman.
Recommendation
Gender pay gap is the difference between the men employee and woman employee in business
society. Most of the organization follows this activity as they do not have knowledge of woman
abilities. Now, in this era there are many of the company who is improving the gender pay gap
activities in a society. It has been recommanded that following the rules and regulation on the
basis of equality and not performing the gender gap will improve the woman educations. A
woman who started to work in the offices and company are providing the equal opportunities
will lead to gain a better productivity. In research, it has been founded that woman are more
productive than a man. Not following the gender pay gap in occupation will improve tha
balanced life activity and also makes a help at financial basis.

CONCLUSION
In this report, it has been concluded that in society many of the organization are
practising the gender pay gap which makes a woman difficulty in searching for the jobs and
employment. Providing equal wages to both men and woman according to their skill sand
knowledge will create an equality and gives opportunity to woman for expand their education
and abilities(Shorey, and et.al., 2018). The report is making an understanding of equality and
equal pay roll systems and its importance in a working life. This ar6ticle ensures that woman are
more capable to prove and increase the productivity and can give an excellent growth in business
environment.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Begeny, and et.al., 2020. In some professions, women have become well represented, yet gender
bias persists—Perpetuated by those who think it is not happening. Science
Advances.6(26).p.eaba7814.
Bishu, S.G. and Alkadry, M.G., 2017. A systematic review of the gender pay gap and factors that
predict it. Administration & Society. 49(1). pp.65-104.
Botella, C. and et.al 2019. Gender diversity in STEM disciplines: A multiple factor
problem. Entropy. 21(1). p.30.
Cervone, and et.al., 2021. Setting Limits: Ethical Thresholds to the CEO-Worker Pay Gap.
Cortés, P. and Pan, J., 2019. When time binds: Substitutes for household production, returns to
working long hours, and the skilled gender wage gap. Journal of Labor
Economics. 37(2). pp.351-398.
Elson, D., 2017, May. Recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work: how to close the
gender gap. In New Labor Forum (Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 52-61). Sage CA: Los Angeles,
CA: SAGE Publications.
Segovia-Pérez, M. and et.al 2019. Incorporating a gender approach in the hospitality industry:
Female executives’ perceptions. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 76.
pp.184-193.
Shorey, and et.al., 2018. Prevalence and incidence of postpartum depression among healthy
mothers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of psychiatric research.10.
pp.235-248.