INEQUALITY IN PAY BETWEEN MAN AND WOMAN… EXISTS OR A MYTH?

INEQUALITY IN PAY BETWEEN MAN AND WOMAN… EXISTS OR A MYTH?

Ever since our early days at education and in real life, we have been well acquainted and accustomed to the word ‘Equality’. We reason and associate with this word so frequently and often out of range and meaning, that we forget how diligently this word and its concept should be examined.

Gender Pay Gap is the overall average difference between the remuneration provided to the working men and working women. According to some critics, it has been observed that this concept is a myth and is frequently used by women in the name of feminism and old age oppression which no longer exists.  However, this is not true. There are various factors solely decided by women that contribute to the Gender Pay Gap. Wage differences between men and women provide a deeper insight into dimensions such as education, occupation, working hours, shifts, etc.

For example, in the case of the narrowing of the Gender Pay Gap index, keeping in mind the consideration of more educated people to have high earnings, we can say that women have levelled up same to men in areas of educational attainment, particularly in years of schooling.

With respect to differences in education contributing to differences in wages, we come to unadjusted and adjusted pay differences. Raw or Unadjusted Pay Gap occurs when the differences in wages between both men and women is calculated without keeping in consideration the differences in worker characteristics. Adjusted Pay Gap results when the complete process takes place with consideration of differences in education, experience, other factors, etc.

From an Indian perspective, there are two things to be kept in mind-

1.   No gender discrimination occurs during campus placements. All are offered equal pay, excluding the criteria of which city they are placed in. (City Tier Allowance)

2.   No gender discrimination in government jobs. All are offered the same pay, apart from the work experience criteria.

Both the genders, men and women, have their own setbacks when it comes to payment for work done. Both deserve equal respect and opportunities. However, the only difference that should be made is on the basis of the kind of work the individual presents to the firm. In the Bollywood industry, actresses have been found complaining about their pay regardless of them having the same talents as the actors. This is highly contradictory since all depends on what you bring to the table, that is, the kind of perfection and proficiency you bring to the table (the actress’s star value, the support of the people and the fan following). The scale of demand and supply affects the work industry as well. There’s no payment without work, and had women been cheaper to hire, the companies in general would have had more female employees than male. But since this is not the case, instead of equalizing pay on the basis of gender, one should focus to reach high levels of success and achievement.

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