Globally, the gender wage gap continues to be a key issue facing women at workplaces.
A majority believe that men and women receive equal treatment at the workplace, however the pay gap between genders remains an issue, a Doha News poll found.
The results were part of a survey conducted by Doha News on International Parity at Work Day to gauge overall perception of equality at work.
Responding to a question on the overall treatment at work when it comes to genders, 53% of respondents said there is quality while the remaining 47% disagreed.
One follower mockingly said the workload for both genders is the same, while another pointed out issues of inequality in terms of treatment of workers based on their nationalities rather than skill set.
Commenting on the lack of equality at their workplace, one follower said there is no parity as their management ignores talents.
“No equality in my workplace, the talent people ignored by the management and almost resigned,” they said, echoing thoughts shared by others who believe equality “does not exist” at their firm.
Gender pay gap
Globally, around 2.4 billion women do not receive equal economic opportunity, with women in 95 countries not receiving equal pay, the World Bank said last year.
Last year, the United Nations also said women have been the “hardest-hit” by the Covid-19 outbreak, which exposed global inequalities. The UN said women continue to earn less than men at work while being “under-represented in decision-making roles.”
Offering a negative outlook on the global labour sector, the UN said, “At the current rate, it will take 257 years to close the global gender pay gap.”
However, Qatar’s gender pay gap has narrowed down in recent years. In 2016, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said Qatar has a 18% gender pay gap.
Following global trends, respondents said a common issue is the pay gap at workplaces.
In a follow-up question over equal pay, 46% said they think both genders are paid equally while the majority of 54% responded with “no”.
Benefits of work parity
Equality and diversity at work places do have their proven benefits, mainly creating a sense of safety among employees during the hours that consume their time while improving a firm’s reputation.
The ILO defined inclusion “as the experience people have in the workplace and the extent to which they feel valued for who they are, the skills and experience they bring and the extent to which they have a strong sense of belonging with others at work.”
The ILO found that high levels of equality and diversity are linked to “greater innovation, productivity and performance, talent recruitment and retention.”
In a 2021 study, the ILO conducted a study on more than 12,000 employees in 75 countries across five regions. The report found that most respondents agreed that merging diversity and inclusion in work policies is more likely to contribute to sustainable change.
“Employees need to feel they are valued, respected, fairly treated and empowered through inclusive business practices, inclusive organisational culture and inclusive leadership,” Deborah France-Massin, Director at ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities said.
Separately, ICENA, a United Kingdom-based non-profit social enterprise, found numerous pros of equality, including the exchange of different perspectives, ideas and skills.
Another added benefit is the reduction of staff turnover, given that staff would feel accommodated and enjoy their work environment more once their needs are also met in terms of flexible hours and time off.
“As a business, if your employees feel well-treated and safe at work, not only are they more likely to stay, but they’re also likely to recommend the business to someone else, thus saving on recruitment costs,” ICENA said.
