The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Gilbert F. Houngbo, has called for decisive action to close the gender pay gap during an event in Dublin on International Equal Pay Day which discussed progress and future action on pay equity. He highlighted the persistent wage disparities facing women globally.
Over the past decade, the global gender pay gap has narrowed by only two percentage points, leaving women still earning 18 per cent less than men on average. Strikingly, higher educational attainment among women has failed to eliminate this gap, resulting in accumulating inequalities, such as reduced economic independence, lower savings and pensions.
"Work of equal value deserves equal remuneration, and equal pay is fundamental to achieve gender equality and social justice. It is about ensuring that every person's contribution is recognized, valued and rewarded fairly," said Houngbo.
The principle that the value of work must not depend on whether the person performing it is a woman or a man is enshrined in the ILO Equal Remuneration Convention (No. 100). It goes far beyond ensuring equal pay for women and men doing the same job, questioning how society values different kinds of work and why work predominantly performed by women has often been valued less.
The gender pay gap reflects inequalities that reinforce one another over time and must be addressed, such as unequal care responsibilities, informal work, barriers to decent work, entrepreneurship and leadership, as well as discrimination and stereotypes.
The green and digital transitions are creating new industries and occupations and present opportunities for pay equality. Artificial intelligence and algorithmic systems increasingly influence recruitment, job classification, performance assessment and remuneration.
The Director-General of the ILO called for technology to help identify and address discrimination rather than reproduce it, and for women to have equal access to opportunities created by these transformations. He also stressed that stronger institutions, including social dialogue, collective bargaining, and fair and inclusive wage-setting systems, can turn rights into realities.
"Equal pay for work of equal value cannot remain an aspiration for tomorrow. Society must take action to make it today's reality," the ILO Director-General concluded.
No government, institution or actor can close the gender pay gap alone. The event acknowledged Ireland's first year as a member of the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC). Launched in 2017, EPIC is led by the ILO, UN Women and the OECD and has more than 80 members worldwide around a shared ambition to accelerate progress towards equal pay for work of equal value.
The event was hosted by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment of Ireland, Peter Burke. It brought together the Chair and members of the Equal Pay International Coalition, representatives from EU Member States, employers' and workers' organizations, academia and civil society.
