Mend the gender pay gap

The yawning pay gap between male and female employees at a local financial institution, highlighted by the Business Daily this week, confirms one of the most pressing challenges facing the modern workforce.

The bank’s sustainability report shows that female employees earn 52 per cent less than their male counterparts for doing exactly the same work. Sadly, this is a trend across most organisations in the country.

Globally, the gender pay gap is a stark reminder of the persistent inequality women face in the workplace. Year after year, study after study shows the same depressing result: women earn less than men in almost every profession.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021, the global gender pay gap was 31.4 per cent in 2021. Despite the progress and contributions women have made in the workplace, the report estimates that at the current rate of change, it will take 132 years to close the global gender pay gap.

Kenya is one of the most important countries for Africa’s economic growth, yet its gender pay gap has widened in recent years, from 31 per cent in 2019 to 43 and 46 per cent in 2020 and 2021, respectively. How and why this gap has come about is no mystery, but it is still unjust.

The historical and systemic undervaluing of women’s work has meant that female-dominated jobs have been paid less. Although we live in a technologically enlightened century, some prehistoric attitudes about the value of women’s work persist and are reflected in how much they earn. This is wrong and unacceptable!

Over the years, I have attended many women’s empowerment sessions and one issue that has stood out in relation to the unexplained pay gap is that women have to negotiate for higher salaries.

Men, even those who are unqualified for certain positions, will ask for mega salaries without blinking an eye. Women, on the other hand, are modest.

For those who are confident enough to ask for more money, some unfortunately experience a backlash. If only organisations could include salary ranges in job advertisements.

We have fewer women in leadership and decision-making roles, limiting their influence on policies that could address the pay gap. To close this gap, governments and companies must take proactive measures to promote gender diversity and inclusion in leadership positions.

The income gap prevents women from saving as much for retirement. Let’s take a step back and really look at what the gender pay gap means for us, our families, our workplaces and Kenya.

Closing the pay gap is not just a win for women - it has social and economic benefits. If women were paid fairly, the poverty rate would be halved and more money would be injected into the economy.

Let’s create an equal society for all.

Blessed week.

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