Marie (name changed), a 31-year-old expatriate from India who works at a private healthcare clinic in Doha, arrived in the country with her children barely a year after the prestigious FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. She has come here to be with her husband who has been living in Doha for the past several years now. Marie now also works with her husband at the same clinic.
“Generally, the government promotes the welfare of working women. I hope this vision is also implemented well by the private sector. I work in the private sector in healthcare field, and I find the salary scale is more favorable for male workers. Female workers get lesser salaries than males even though we’re in the same levels. Some of the reasons I hear is maybe because many females at our company can’t work the night shifts in order to tend to their families, or because the males need to sponsor their families in Doha; that’s why women in our clinic get lower salary rates. But still, many women are working as bread winners for their families too,” Marie said while talking to Qatar Tribune recently.
Marie is not alone. The issue of gender pay gap continues to be a big issue among working women globally. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), women on average continue to be paid about 20 percent less than men across the world. There are large variations between countries, from a high of over 45 percent to hardly any difference. The gender pay gap has been reduced in some countries while in others there has been little change, the ILO added.
Moreover, the World Economic Forum estimates that it will take 202 years to close the global gender pay gap, based on the trend observed over the past 12 years. The prevailing issue of gender pay gap is one of the most significant indicators of inequality between men and women.
“The issue of pay gap is a big topic across the world. And women are no longer willing to put as much work as the guys, who have the same leadership positions, and be paid a quarter of their salaries. I refuse to do that. And all women should refuse to do that,” said Paola Granati, Senior Associate at the Management Centre Europe (MCE) while addressing a women’s function in Doha recently.
She added, “Also, in many countries now like in Switzerland, they have started providing paternity leaves to allow the husbands as well to stay at home and support their wives after giving birth. That allows the women as well to not always carry that ‘double burden’ alone. Growing a beautiful family is a shared responsibility. So it’s important to have laws and changes in mindsets and culture”.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of a women’s event in Doha, Australian Ambassador to Qatar HE Shane Flanagan stressed the importance of recognising that the issue of gender pay gap still exists and continues to affect women around the world.
He said, “The recognition part is really an important step, and just appreciating that we are working towards gender equality, but we need to realize that there are in fact barriers. Many workplaces have barriers, the pay gap is an example of the inequality that exists everywhere all over the world. So it’s important for leaders of organizations, men and women, to look at their organizations and look at those areas of inequality. And that of course very importantly relates to pay.
“There is a real role for men as allies and champions for women to be very conscious and look at their organizations and see what steps need to be taken to make sure that the playing field is an equal and fair one. I think it’s very important for the male leaders in business and in government to model good behavior in this respect, and also thoroughly examine their organizations to see what they can do to genuinely promote fairness and equality,” Flanagan added.
Also talking to Qatar Tribune on the topic, Canadian Ambassador to Qatar HE Isabelle Martin stressed that each person actually has a role to play in addressing gender pay gap.
She said, “Gender pay gap has always been a challenge. Recently, I read that we will not reach equal pay in this century, even in Canada. The reality is if you work as hard you should be paid the same. It is a global problem. And I think everyone at every level should be fighting at their level.
“In every position you’re in you should challenge why is there is a gap, and try to put that in perspective for the people who have the power to change that. I was telling young students who were shadowing me in the last few days that if you want to find any solution to anything, you have to name it, say it and talk about it. If you don’t raise the problem, people will think that it’s ok. It needs a collective effort for every woman at their level and position to do something about it, and find ways to raise the awareness and find solutions and ideas,” added Martin.
According to the Pew Research Center, there is no single explanation for why progress toward narrowing the pay gap has all but stalled in the 21st century. It added that women generally begin their careers closer to wage parity with men, but they lose ground as they age and progress through their work lives, a pattern that has remained consistent over time.
The Center also highlighted that younger women – those ages 25 to 34 and early in their work lives – have edged closer to wage parity with men in recent years. Starting in 2007, their earnings have consistently stood at about 90 cents to the dollar or more compared with men of the same age. But even as pay parity might appear in reach for women at the start of their careers, the wage gap tends to increase as they age.
A good share of the increase in the gender pay gap takes place when women are between the ages of 35 and 44. In 2022, women ages 25 to 34 earned about 92 percent as much as men of the same ages, but women ages 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 earned 83 percent as much. The ratio dropped to 79 percent among those ages 55 to 64. This general pattern has not changed in at least four decades, the Center added.
