How to Breach the Gender Pay Gap
Gone are the days when women were confined to the four walls of the house. These days women are working hand in hand with men. Women are also equally responsible for the economic growth of the country. Their talent and skills are not less than men which are vital for the social development of our society.
So there is no reason that they should not be paid at par with men.
Sharing Data
Women tend to get lower salaries in male-dominated industries like software engineering. These industries are male dominated where women settle down for only a substantial amount than their counterparts. It is quite possible that they don’t ask for it as men do.
But by sharing data or publishing everyone’s salary, women can be aware of the pattern of pay package and can ask for their market worth. Companies can see to it that there are no patterns of inequality followed.
Negotiate
It is a fact that women prefer to negotiate with what is offered to them or ask a little less than the males if the organization is renowned or may be just for the sake of getting work experience of whereas, men prefer to settle down on their own terms.
The pay ranges established by the companies should be based on the experience and role and the applicants should not have any say in it. The offers provided to applicants should be nonnegotiable. The company should itself take the stand and pay fairly rather than the candidates negotiating for fair pay.
More Transparency
The key to breach gender pay gap is to adopt a data base approach. There should be more transparency. Proper training should be given and focus should be to provide more opportunities for equality so that there is diversity in all sorts of roles. This way there will be less discrimination in pay scales. Employers should also adopt a trend and work in an environment where everyone is paid equally.
Make work Easier for Mothers
The gender pay gap widens to some extent when women start having children as they work for few hours or take more leaves. Policies, like giving paid sick leave or providing child care services, should be encouraged to keep the women in the workforce as when they return, they work for more hours, thus, earn a higher salary. Work should be less strenuous or easy for mothers to bring stability in their career so that they can stick with their careers for as long as men.
Encourage Employees
Think, act, and report framework should be adopted by the employers. They should think how to encourage gender equality and then take action if there is any disparity between the genders. Report the measures achieved by the workforce rather than considering the gender.
Preference should be given to the work done and payment should be done accordingly rather than on gender base. If there is a low participation of females in any particular task, then the reason should be considered and steps should be taken to enhance the participation of women in that particular field.
Bridging the gender pay gap is not only beneficial for employers, but also the employee as the work atmosphere becomes cordial which boosts the confidence of the employees. Not only this, it enhances productivity and competitiveness which leads the company towards success.
