Women working in the health and care sector earn an average of 24% less than men that perform the same function, alerted the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in a joint report released this Wednesday.
The publication constitutes the most comprehensive analysis to date of gender pay inequalities in health.
The research findings show a wage gap between women and men of 20 percentage points that rises 24 percentage points when taking into account factors such as age, education and length of employment.
Namely, women are underpaid in the labor market compared to men, emphasizes the report.
The agencies explained that Not all the difference is due to discrimination, also responds to the fact that the pay in this economic category tends to be lower in general. However, the agencies clarify, salaries are often lower in sectors where women predominate and in the health and care sphere. 67% of the staff is female.
“Women make up the majority of workers in the health and care sector, but in too many countries systemic biases are resulting in pernicious wage penalties against them,” said Jim Campbell, WHO Director of Health Workforce. .
Crucial role during the pandemic
The document highlights that although health and care workers played a crucial role during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only marginal improvements in equal pay between 2019 and 2020.
The director of the ILO’s Conditions of Work and Equality Department underscored that the health and care sector has endured generally low wages, stubbornly large gender pay gaps and very demanding working conditions.
“The COVID-19 pandemic clearly exposed this situation while demonstrating how vital the sector and its workers are to keeping families, societies and economies going”, stated Manuela Tomei.
Inequality is not inevitable
The study also finds a wide variation in the gender pay gap across countries, suggesting that inequality is not inevitable and that can be removed.
The WHO’s Jim Campbell was encouraged that success stories in several countries “show the way, including pay increases and political commitment to pay equity.”
Another conclusion is that gender pay gaps tend to be more extensive in the higher salary categories, where men are overrepresented. Women, on the other hand, are the most assisted personnel in the lowest salary categories.
© UNICEF/Georges Harry Rouzier
A nurse attending to patients at a hospital in Les Cayes, after the August 14 earthquake.
Mothers, most affected
With regard to mothers working in health and care, the agencies noted that they seem to suffer additional penalties.
During a woman’s reproductive years, employment and gender wage gaps in the sector widen significantly and then persist throughout the rest of a woman’s working life.
The report notes that a more equal distribution of family tasks between men and women could, in many cases, lead women to choose different occupations.
The study argues that differences in age, education, working time and the difference in the participation of men and women in the public or private sectors represent only part of the problem. The reasons why women are paid less than men with similar labor market profiles in the health and care sector around the world remain largely unexplainedpoint.
The ILO predicted that there will be no inclusive, resilient and sustainable recovery without a stronger health and care sector.
“We cannot have better quality care and health services without better and fairer working conditions, including fairer wages, for health and care workers, the majority of whom are women. The time has come to adopt decisive political measures, including the necessary political dialogue between institutions”, emphasized Manuela Tomei.
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