WAGE INEQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

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by Lynda Ekoue - Board Director

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The myth of wage inequality between men and women is a reality. In general, women earn less than men. Reports and research have been published by international bodies on the pay gap between men and women, and according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), which is part of these bodies, Europe and Central Asia are progressing very slowly in reducing the wage gap between the two sexes. On the African continent, women's informal and unpaid work is widespread because of the fragility of some female populations, and women's willingness to be financially independent, which forces them to invade the labor market in which they invest.

In the 1960s, women were getting into studies and jobs far more heavily than before and their influences became part of the workforce. According to some economists who have researched pay gap between men and women, a regular convergence of wages between the two sexes is not automatic. After a rise in women's wages in the 1980s, a decline was recorded during the 1990s, and in the 2000s were characterized by a mixture of decline and rise.

Another, contemporary economic driver is that women earn in average 75% of every money - % varies per country -  earned by men because they are discriminated against in the labor market. We can also talk about the human capital of individuals which implies the knowledge, skills, and work experience of women and men. The existence of early childhood care facilities plays a key role in the professional integration of women. Economic science notes and maintains that individuals receive their salary according to this human capital. Men and women invest in different ways and we can see it in many ways:

At first glance, men tend to move towards business and engineering while women move to the social sciences, psychology, nursing, and when men earn higher wages, Women find themselves in jobs with low wages. Even if men and women have the same years of schooling, the choices they make about their specializations lead them to work in different fields and paid differently. Women want to take time off to take care of children and this marital responsibility forces them to work part time. Men work full time and for the same types of jobs women are paid less than men. However in some jobs women earn more.

So if we want women's wages to be more equal to those of men, we have the obligation to convince many women to work in fields such as science, engineering and the business world, and men as well assume responsibility for children and the home on a regular basis. This will allow a balance and equality in wages between men and women.

There is also a need for equality and social protection policies because gender-based discrimination in the workplace limits economic growth and affects poverty, and negatively affects the standard of living and the quality of life as well as well-being of families and communities. There is also a great need to invest women in education and employment could increase, and inequalities between women and men could be thwarted and the risks of precariousness for some women and inequalities between women and inequalities between women and men, can be reduced. This will be an issue for society and not for women only.