International Women's Rights Day: how to explain why pay inequalities persist ?

Les femmes subissent encore des inégalités salariales. Illustration Unsplash – Tim Gouw

On the occasion of International Women's Rights Day, parity observers point to persistent pay inequalities between men and women. On average in France, women receive 24.4% less than their male counterparts. A problem which can be explained by working time and positions occupied, but also by hard-living discrimination. At equal working time in Occitanie, the gap is 17%. 

At a time when France is pleased to have included freedom of access to abortion in the Constitution, certain figures still resonate bad for women. On average, they are paid 23 to 25% less than their male counterparts. 

Wage inequalities in Occitanie

Wage inequalities for equivalent working time are more marked in Occitanie, of the order of 17% difference compared to 14.9% in France. A woman earns 2,080 euros per month on average compared to 2,440 euros for men. Between 50 and 64 years old, the gap reaches 28% for equal working time and pay, poses l'Insee. 

Even before being hired, especially in high positions, women face difficulties. Is it a disadvantage to recruit women ?

In 92% of cases, employers cite constraints linked to the nature of the position, in 29%, they believe that certain tasks are better carried out by men than by women. It is a personal choice in 13% of cases, and in order not to arouse negative reactions among the company's employees in 10% of cases, points out the < em>Ministry of Labor. 

The figure: 17% salary gap in Occitanie

In Occitanie, as in France, women's salaries are lower than those of the average women. those of men. For the year 2022, the gap is estimated to be &agrav; 17% according to INSEE, & equal working time. In the region, the differences are more marked among executives. The wages of workers are also lower than those of manual workers. Wage inequalities are greatest in the department of Haute-Garonne (21 %). À Conversely in Gers and Lozère, salary differences are less pronounced (10%).

One in four women works part-time

In France, more than one in four women work part-time, compared to one in ten men. This is the primary factor in the pay gap between men and women. women. In Occitania, 18.6% of women and 5.5% of men work part-time. Men work more overtime, better paid working time.

Furthermore, women generally do lower-paid jobs. Far removed from supervisory positions, they are often relegated to positions of less responsibility. Only 16% of female employees are managers, compared to 23% of men. In the region, the activity rate of men is 4,000 times higher. 9 points to that of women.

Even before entering the job market, it is at the level of studies that disparities exist. However, 28% of women aged 15 to 24 have higher education qualifications compared to 21% of men of the same age in Occitanie. 

The latest Pisa ranking highlighted a difference between the performance of boys and girls at school in mathematics, a gap which widens as students get older. They are only 29% in engineering training and 42% in scientific fields, says the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. 

Presumed mother

In 2020, 3% of referrals to the Defender of Rights concerned pregnancy at work. L'Insee even evokes "professional segregation".&amp ;nbsp;

Asking a woman if she intends to have a child in the coming years, dismissing an employee who is on maternity leave, trying to shorten this leave… are formally prohibited practices.

Another issue concerns women: that of the very controversial menstrual leave. The Senate examined a bill for ;#39;establishment of menstrual leave on February 15. It was rejected. 

In anticipation of these significant personal events, some employers do not hesitate to slow down the professional careers of certain women: excluded from positions of responsibility, paid less or even not hired. 

Old beliefs die hard

The 4.3% of salary inequality for working time and equivalent position highlights a more embarrassing problem: that of discrimination. When nothing explains a difference in treatment, difference in salary, there remains the possibility that it comes from the arbitrary choice of certain employers to pay certain employees less well .

A problem born from archaic beliefs: women are less competent, manage responsibilities less well, tire more quickly and generally do not have the shoulders to take on significant and paid workloads consequently…

The law tries to create a barrier. As a reminder, article L1132-1 of the Labor Code prohibits any difference in treatment between employees because of their gender, origin&nbsp ;or even religion. Employers responsible for this discrimination face up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros. 

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