Page 67 - English Tehelka Issue 1&2

ideas

Gender pay gap: Quite

a pervasive inequality

celand recently surprised the world in their careers. No wonder research shows
enGender by enacting a law that requires com- that income equality between men and
women is more stable in their 20s but starts
panies to prove that they are paying
revolution men and women equally for perform- to go haywire after their late 20s and 30s
I ing the same jobs. The country’s effort (childbearing years for women), stabilising
Ridhima to minimise the gender pay gap and thus after women cross the 40 mark (when the
malhotRa gender inequality has been hailed across kids are comparatively independent).
the world.
It’s mostly the mother, not the father,
The gender pay gap is a global discrep- who either takes a few years’ break from
ancy, more widespread and severe than it work or makes sure that even if she keeps
The writer, Executive is considered to be. For instance, Iceland the job her professional life doesn’t come
Editor of Tehelka, is an itself had passed the first legislation in the way of the children’s upbringing.
unapologetic feminist mandating equal pay for men and wom- When the kids fall sick or have exams, it’s so
en in 1961. At that time, members of the uncommon to see fathers instead of moth-
Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, were ers taking leaves from work. In most house-
hopeful that full pay equality would be holds, domestic chores are the women’s
reached in only six years, in 1967. How - duty. No matter how capable a woman is,
ever, the small and prosperous country her career does get affected when she has
with a population under 3,50,000 couldn’t to divert her energy to significant house-
attain that goal in over half a century hold and caregiving responsibilities. Many
despite making efforts and finally had to women thus opt for jobs far below their
resort to stricter legislation! qualifications. This also leads to women not
What could be the reason behind the negotiating their salaries as well as men do
gender pay gap being so pervasive even because many of them are more focused on
in developed countries? It is certainly not getting the job that would let them divert
the case that men in general are smarter their attention to their homes. This isn’t the
or more hardworking than women to case for men; they are expected to carry on
deserve higher remuneration for the same with life as usual no matter what kind of
jobs. These qualities have nothing to do with hell breaks loose in the house.
All this strengthens the widespread
No matter how one’s gender. Yes, a large number of women perception that men are the primary
especially in patriarchal societies do remain
capable a woman more ignorant about various things than bread winners whereas women’s incomes
is, her career men; the reason is not that women lack are supplementary. We all have heard of
women relocating with their husbands
intelligence but that they are denied by
gets affected their families opportunities and expo - when they are transferred to other cities or
countries but how many men instinctively
sure to the world that is not forbidden for
when she has to most men. give up their jobs to shift base if their wives
divert her energy ‘taught’ that they are primarily care giv- are transferred? On the contrary we all
Females are from very young ages
know of cases where women change their
to significant ers whose responsibility is to look after jobs to suit the husbands’ or children’s or
household and their homes and families. This often influ- in-law’s needs.
ences their choice of careers as they aspire
The gender pay gap is one of the fac -
caregiving for jobs that will not complicate looking tors that stem from gender discrimination
responsibilities. after their homes. Don’t we in India hear a and keep spinning in the vicious cycle that
results in furthering prejudices between
lot of women talk about finding ‘safe’ jobs
This isn’t so for with ‘manageable’ working hours? Even males and females.
men for women who don’t have such mindset, ridhima@tehelka.com
childbirth takes them back by a few steps

Tehelka / 31 january 2018 66 www.Tehelka.com

66 Ideas-Column.indd 2 12/01/18 4:19 PM