Analyzing the Gender Pay Gap: A Severe Issue of Workplace Inequality

This essay addresses the critical issue of the gender pay gap and workplace gender inequality, highlighting that the disparity in earnings between male and female employees persists despite equal job responsibilities. It emphasizes that this issue is not limited to women being underpaid but also extends to male employees being deprived of certain privileges. The essay presents arguments supported by reports and surveys, showcasing the global nature of the pay gap, its illegality under various acts, and the positive impact of closing these gaps on pay structures. By referencing OECD reports and studies from organizations like Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), the essay underscores the importance of transparency and action in achieving gender equality in the workplace. The author concludes that addressing the gender pay gap not only promotes fairness but also contributes to economic development by ensuring equal rewards, opportunities, and resources for all employees, irrespective of gender.

Running Head: Gender Pay Gap: A Severe Issue
Gender Inequality at Workplace

Gender Pay Gap: A Severe Issue 1
Gender Inequality at Workplace
Main issue:
In the recent era, the issue of workplace gender inequality has become quite topical.
Workplace gender inequality is not only reflected by the discriminated employee treatment
but also the pay gaps between the male and female employees at any organisations (Gregory,
2003). The variation between the earnings of male and female employees working under the
same organisation at the same designations is termed as the pay gap and is expressed as the
percentage of men’s earnings at the same workplaces. It is generally reported by various
media reports on the basis of their real-world surveys that women employees in the current
times are being paid almost half of the male employees at certain workplaces even after
working for 50 minutes more on an average than the men. Also, it is encountered that female
employees face narrow scopes for the senior roles at their organisations (Treanor, 2016).
Why media covered it?
It is not merely women who are under-paid at various organisations but also the male
employees in certain organisations are deprived of the special privileges such as shifts
working, maternity packages or allowances that are being offered to the women employees at
such offices. These factors have actually contributed to gender inequality at the workplaces
and caused huge dissatisfaction among the employees. In order to highlight the concern of
disparity in pay opportunities and other concerns relating to gender inequality to the media
employees of such organisations have used different ways of protestation such as prolonged
strikes (Holder, et al., 2018). The corporations that are involved in such practices are
condemned under such acts. Hence the issue of gender pay gap has grabbed significant media
attention.

Gender Pay Gap: A Severe Issue 2
Argument 1: Gender pay gaps is a global issue
When measured in employment terms, the pay gap has internationally widened over past 4
years i.e. 59% which was similar at the time of financial crisis that occurred in 2008
(Treanor, 2016). As per the results of recent most OECD’s report, Korea has reported the
highest pay gap of around 36.6% while that reported by Japan is somewhere around 26.6%.
In US and UK market the pay gap remains at 17.9% and 17.5% despite of the fact that these
countries have already adopted various awareness programmes (Davidson, 2016).
Argument 2: Unequal wage payment is illegal:
For over 40 years, the payment of unequal wages to the male and female employees of the
organisation for the similar job responsibilities has been considered as illegal under various
acts. The reports released by Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) and the Workplace
Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has suggested that the actions against pay gap practices
gets thrice time better when they are merged with reporting of pay gap related data to the
board (Australian government, 2018). The report has shown that the employers that measure
the gaps between their wage-pay structure for the male and female employees, are truly
progressing positively towards economic development.
Argument 3: Closing pay-gaps has improved the pay-structures
Gender equality could be achieved if all the employees of an organisation get an equal
rewards, opportunities, resources and equal or comparable work pay for the same job
responsibilities, irrespective of their gender. It is reported in Gender Equity Insights 2018:
Inside Australia’s Gender Pay Gap that the corporations that undertook the pay gap audit and
other actions to close the gender pay-gaps, experienced the salary packages of the female

Gender Pay Gap: A Severe Issue 3
managers have boosted by average $ 24000. While the same decreased by $ 4000 in case of
male managers (Australian government, 2018).

Gender Pay Gap: A Severe Issue 4
References:
Australian government, 2018. About workplace gender equality. Available at:
<https://www.wgea.gov.au/learn/about-workplace-gender-equality> Accessed on 10.07.2018.
Australian government, 2018. Media Release: Pay gaps close when leaders see the numbers.
Available at: https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/BCEC-WGEA-2018-MR.pdf
Accessed on 10.07.2018.
Davidson, C., 2016. Five strategies for creating gender equality in the media. Available at: <
https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2016/jul/20/five-strategies-creating-gender-
equality-media> Accessed on 10.07.2018.
Gregory, R.F., 2003. Women and workplace discrimination: Overcoming barriers to gender
equality. Rutgers University Press.
Holder, J., Topping, A., Barr, C. & Voce, A. 2018. Gender pay gap: when does your
company stop paying women in 2018? Available at: < https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-
interactive/2018/apr/04/gender-pay-gap-when-does-your-company-stop-paying-women-in-
2018> Accessed on: 10.07.2018.
Treanor, J., 2016. Gender pay gap could take 170 years to close, says World Economic
Forum. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/oct/25/gender-pay-gap-
170-years-to-close-world-economic-forum-equality Accessed on: 10.07.2018.