The United Nations (UN’s) International Equal Pay Day is annually observed across the globe on 18 September to raise awareness about the gender pay gap and promote efforts to achieve equal pay for work of equal value.
- The day highlights the persistent issue of pay inequality between men and women globally.
- The day also aligns with the UN’s commitment to human rights and eliminating discrimination, particularly against women and girls.
18 September 2024 marks the observance of the 5th International Equal Pay Day.
Note: The UN, along with the UN Women and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), urges governments, businesses, and organisations to work together for equal pay and promote the economic empowerment of women and girls.
Background:
i.On 18 December 2019, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/74/142, proclaiming the 18 September of every year as International Equal Pay Day.
ii.The first-ever International Equal Pay Day was observed on 18 September 2020.
- In 2019, at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva (Switzerland), the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) steering committee member Iceland and other core members, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Panama, South Africa, and Switzerland, initiated a resolution on equal pay, recommending UNGA to declare an international equal pay day
What is Equal Pay?
i.Equal pay is a recognised human right, to which all women and men are entitled, ensuring that men and women receive equal remuneration for work of equal value.
ii.This applies to identical or similar jobs evaluated based on objective criteria such as:
- Skills and qualifications
- Working conditions
- Responsibility levels
- Effort required
iii.The Equal Remuneration Convention of 1951 (No. 100) was the 1st international effort to address pay inequality.
- It was adopted after World War II (WWII) when women joined the labour force in large numbers, recognising pay inequality as a measurable form of workplace discrimination.
The Gender Pay Gap:
i.The ‘gender pay gap’ is a measurable indicator of inequality between women and men.
- It generally refers to the average difference between the remuneration of employed female and male workers.
ii.Ingrained inequalities cause the gender pay gap. Gender stereotypes, discriminatory hiring, and promotion practices also contribute to pay inequalities.
iii.Women, especially migrant women, are overrepresented in low-paying informal jobs without social benefits.
iv.Women, especially in undervalued sectors like care work, are disproportionately affected by the gender pay gap.
- Women perform 3 more hours of daily care work than men, including household and caregiving tasks, where women make up 67% of workers.
v.According to the ILO, women globally earn 20% less than men for the same work.
- This gap is driven by historical and structural inequalities, limiting access to resources and opportunities for women and girls.
Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC):
The EPIC Secretariat comprises the ILO, the UN Women (the UN entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
ii.The Coalition’s goal is to achieve equal pay for women and men worldwide by supporting governments, employers, and workers and their organisations.
iii.EPIC is the only multi-stakeholder partnership focused on closing the gender pay gap globally, operating at global, regional, and national levels.
Key Facts:
i.For every dollar men earn, women earn 77 cents. Women are under-represented in decision-making roles.
ii.At the current rate, it will take 257 years to close the global gender pay gap.
iii.It is estimated that only 28% of women employed worldwide get to enjoy paid maternity leave in practice.
iv.According to the “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs): The Gender Snapshot 2024”, launched by the UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA):
- Women now hold 1 in 4 parliamentary seats, and the percentage of women and girls in extreme poverty has dipped below 10%.
- In 2023, women held 26.9% of seats in parliaments, 35.5% of seats in local governments, and 27.5% of managerial positions.
- At the current rate, gender parity in parliaments won’t be achieved until 2063, and it will take 137 years to lift all women out of poverty.
v.The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap 2024 Insight Report found that the global gender gap score in 2024 for all 146 countries included in the June 2024 edition stands at 68.5% closed.
- It is a 0.1% point improvement from 2023. This means that 31.5% of the gender gap remains unaddressed.
India’s Progress and Challenges in Closing the Gender Gap:
i.In 2024, India, with a population of over 1.4 billion, has closed 64.1% of its gender gap, ranking 129th globally.
ii.Despite a slight decline, economic participation has improved, while educational attainment and political empowerment have declined.
iii.India needs to close gaps in:
- Estimated earned income: 28.6%
- Senior officials and management roles: 14.4%
- Labour-force participation: 45.9%
- Professional and technical workers: 49.4%
iv.India ranks in the top 10 for head-of-state gender parity (40.7%) but struggles with low representation in parliament (17.2%) and ministerial positions (6.9%).
v.Although women’s enrolment in education is high, literacy gaps persist, with a 17.2% gap between men and women, leaving India ranked 124th on this indicator.
2024 Events:
On 18 September 2024, the EPIC Secretariat organised a high-level event “Pay of the Future: Solutions to Close the gender pay gap”, to celebrate International Equal Pay Day 2024, at the UN Women’s Headquarters in New York, the United States of America (USA).
About the UN women:
Executive Director (ED)- Sima Sami Bahous
Headquarters– New York, the United States of America (USA)
Established– 2010
