How to fight the wage gap in Poland?

Gender inequality is still evident in the pay gap. Thesection of the Laws  ofAttendance indicates  how to counteract this.

  • The gender pay gap in Poland – although one of the lowest in the European Union – has increased slightly
  • In 2019, men earned on average nearly 9% more than women, while in 2015 this advantage was about 7%.
  • The wage gap in the private sector is narrowing, where it was much higher than in the public sector (almost 16% vs. less than 4%)
  • The Ombudsman points out what needs to be done to eliminate this obstacle, which is also an expression of gender inequality

Marcin Wiącek asks Anna Schmidt, the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment, for information on ongoing or planned activities aimed at observing the principle of equal treatment in employment, especially as regards eliminating the differences in average wages of both sexes.

In accordance with the Act of 3 December 2010 on the implementation of certain provisions of the European Union in the field of equal treatment, the Commissioner performs tasks related to the implementation of the principle of equal treatment, including those related to the equal status of women and men. He is particularly interested in the phenomenon of unequal remuneration of representatives of both sexes for equal work or of equal value.

10 November 2021 is European Equal Pay Day. This symbolic date marks the date from which women across Europe cease to be paid for their professional work, while men’s work continues to be paid until 31 December. This illustrates one of the most serious obstacles to real gender equality – wage discrimination against women.

Despite the legal guarantees of equal treatment, also in relation to remuneration, women still earn several percent less than men. In 2016, the average monthly gross salary of men was higher than the average monthly gross salary of women by 18.5%. 

Over the years, this situation has not only not improved, but has even worsened. The gender pay gap persists, as confirmed by the latest Gender Equlity Index 2021. It measures gender equality in pay m.in median income (revealing the difference in average pay to the disadvantage of women in relation to the purchasing power standard) and median net equivalent income (revealing the difference in average income from different sources to the disadvantage of women in relation to the purchasing power standard).

The wage gap in Poland, although one of the lowest in the European Union, has increased slightly: in 2019, men earned on average nearly 9% more than women, while in 2015 this advantage was about 7%. The wage gap in the private sector is narrowing, where it was much higher than in the public sector (almost 16% vs. less than 4%).

And the adjusted wage gap, which compares the wages of women and men in similar positions and with similar competencies, is much higher and amounts to about 20%.

This gap remains high in Poland despite the clear educational advantage of women – in the academic year 2020/21 they accounted for 58% of students, and in the academic year 2019/20 – as much as 63.2% of graduates.

It also shows a difference in both the age of women and men and the type of contract concluded, as well as a link with a gender-specific retirement age. The average salary of economically active women over the age of 65 is 9% lower than that of men. This translates into significant disproportions in the amount of the pension – in 2018, a woman’s pension was on average 30% lower than that of a man. Thus, the risk of female poverty is higher.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to have a significant impact on the average gender pay gap, it has exacerbated the unequal distribution of household responsibilities between the sexes. Women are more likely to say that household chores are divided unfairly (23% vs. 7% of men), which contributes to more frequent unpaid work by women. Gender inequality is also evident in relation to unpaid care functions.

Eliminating this significant obstacle and, at the same time, gender inequality requires action of a diverse nature.

  • Education

Education is of particular importance. School education free from gender stereotypes and socialising girls and boys to different social and professional roles is essential and one of the most effective instruments for building a society based on equality and non-discrimination.

  • Dissemination of information on the prohibition of discrimination in employment

Action is also needed to disseminate information on the prohibition and manifestations of discrimination in employment, including in particular on grounds of sex, and on the right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value.

Research indicates a low level of awareness. On the one hand, this may contribute to increasing the scale of breaches of the prohibition of unequal treatment by entities obliged to comply with it, including employers, and, on the other hand, reduce the effectiveness of the protection mechanisms for persons discriminated against if they remain unused in practice.

  • Right to payroll information and employers’ reporting obligation

It should be emphasized that the ROP has consistently recommended the introduction of statutory solutions granting employees the right to information on wages and – at the same time – imposing a reporting obligation on the part of employers.

For these reasons, the solutions contained in the Deputies’ bill on reducing the gender pay gap should be welcomed. Its adoption would allow to achieve a standard that is in line with the direction of development of EU legislation, illustrated by the proposal for a directive on the transparency of remuneration submitted by the European Commission.

Efforts should also be continued to address the problem by undertaking a variety of initiatives now, in particular to raise awareness, including legal awareness, among workers and employers, and to take due account of the proposals of m.in NGOs.  

Source: https://kadry.infor.pl/wynagrodzenie/ochrona-wynagrodzenia/5360991,Luka-placowa-w-Polsce-jak-zwalczyc.html

Region Gdański NSZZ „Solidarność”

Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.

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