International women’s day, we look at the salary gap between men and women in Germany. Here, one can see that Even here it is a matter of perspective.
Imagine the following scenario in your workplace: a man and a woman sitting opposite you in the office and do the same job. The man gets more money than his colleague, and equal to one-fifth! That would be about as if the woman would have worked the first months, free of charge, and it was not until the middle of March also paid for it.
This scenario is of course fictitious. The “free” work days at the beginning of the year, represent the wage gap in Germany. With 21 per cent, it is the second-largest Gender Pay Gap in the European Union.
From second worst to second best
However, the gap differs greatly, depending on how it is measured. If one takes into account factors such as education, work experience, company size and industry, the wage gap in Germany is only six percent. This is called the “adjusted wage gap.” With this measure, Germany is almost at the top, in second place.
These results were presented in a report by the Institute of German economy (IW). The report is based on data from the EU-Commission and Eurostat, the adjusted and unadjusted pay gap compare in the years 2010 and 2014.
The good news: the data also show that both the unadjusted and the adjusted gender pay gap decreases in the EU, with 1.1 percent and 1.4 percent.
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The Same Wage. But not for all
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The Same Wage. But not for all
Explains the inequality, or hidden?
The sum of all the factors that can influence the pay gap and the reasons given, is called the “explained difference.” Germany has the largest said difference in the EU. According to the report, 72 percent of the pay gap in Germany, the various above-mentioned criteria, justify and explain.
The adjusted wage gap is not just a number that makes Germany look better, says Jörg Schmidt, Economist from the Institute of the German economy and author of the report. A closer look at the factors behind the calculations can give an insight into the Situation and help to find a political approach.
“For me, the instructions where you could start, if the policy now would be to think about options for action,” said Schmidt. “If you take into account that women and men are distributed differently across industries, this explains to a certain extent also the average wage difference between women and men .”
For Yvonne Lott of the Union-affiliated Hans-Böckler-Foundation, the adjusted wage gap is a rather misleading indicator. “The Problem with this indicator is that it ignores the dimensions of gender inequality in the labour market in some way,” she says.
“You can conduct a study, the reasons to stress, but to come to the conclusion that the Gender Pay Gap is only six percent, because anything could others be explained? For me, this is not a correct result.”
Six Percent Of Discrimination?
“If you really think about it, what it means, it’s still a lot,” says Lott. “This six per cent, are really only due to the fact that the employers say, when the viewing of the workers, that women get less because they are women, and men get more because they are men”.
The authors of the study, the EU-Commission, from which the original data via the adjusted wage gap, however, say that “the adjusted gap may not be discrimination, since the study also takes into account unmeasured pay-relevant gender-specific differences, such as actual experience, vocational preferences or Negotiation skills”.
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A Gender Pay Gap Where women earn more than menOn the construction
Surprise number One: women earn well in Professions that apply dominated than men. Thus, the salary of women is in civil engineering, just over the of men – namely, an average of 3730 euros gross per month. Men come at 3728 Euro.
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A Gender Pay Gap Where women earn more than menIn the school
In the area of “education and teaching” to describe, deserves a man average of 13 percent more and comes on 4669 Euro in the month. Women earn 4131 Euro.
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A Gender Pay Gap Where women earn more than menIn The Field Of Transport
What to think of statisticians as everything is for industries: For example: “land transport and Transport via pipelines”. Here are the salaries of women are most clearly above those of male colleagues: Plus five percent. More women are also available in the “building construction”. (plus two percent), and in the case of the “Postal,courier and Express services” with 0.2 percent.
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A Gender Pay Gap Where women earn more than menIn the realm of Justice and peace
In the area of “legal and tax advice, as well as the auditor” is the Gender Pay Gap is very large, to the detriment of women. Men come on 6434 Euro in the month, the workers get the inside 3478 Euro. That is to say: men get here about Twice.
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A Gender Pay Gap Where women earn more than menSports, entertainment and recreation
In the area of “services in sports, entertainment and recreation” is the difference at the biggest. Here men come to 5701 Euro in month, women on 2772 euros. That means men earn 106 per cent more than women.
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A Gender Pay Gap Where women earn more than menResearch and development
Where is to be researched and developed, women 4334 euros per month, while their male counterparts earn in the average 5577 Euro. The balance shifts in favour of the men, 29 percent.
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A Gender Pay Gap Where women earn more than menIn The Cockpit
You can earn good money, if you have a Job in aviation. However, just as a man, Because the average monthly income is 7694 Euro gross per month. Women, on average, only 3883 Euro makes up 98 percent for the men.
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A Gender Pay Gap Where women earn more than menIn the kitchen and Inn
Around the gastronomy of the men earn 14 percent more than women. Specifically, this means: a woman at the stove (or elsewhere in the industry) has 2155 Euro / month, which male colleagues get 2456 Euro.
On the EU level
While in Germany, the wage differences in “adjusted” viewing are low, the Situation is in other EU countries is quite different. In Romania, Poland and Lithuania, the wage gap between women and men is even more drastic. In these countries, women are not able to offset the wage inequality by, for example, a good training in the field. On the contrary, Even if a woman has several University degrees, they still earn less than a man.
Not only the size of the explained gap is important, but also the factors that contribute to this, argues Schmidt. According to the report, three main aspects of unequal pay in Germany. These are the unequal distribution of men and women in different industries, the question of part-time employment, and finally the experience.
Like the studies show, is the unequal distribution of men and women in different industry sectors in all EU countries there is a Problem. In Romania, Hungary and Poland, the aspects such as education and occupation play a large role. In Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the size of the company also has an impact on the wage gap.
“Because the conditions in the countries are very different, you can not give all States a blanket recommendation,” says Schmidt. The report also criticized the plans of the EU Commission, the specific measures for pay transparency at the EU level.
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Why we need the Equal Pay DayWomen ask for equal salaries
Although women have achieved in the past decades, a lot of for equal rights, you earn in Germany until today, on average, 21 percent less than men. 18. In March, the “Equal Pay Day”, is to be made on this inequality to the attention of. Because wage inequality relates to many sectors and age groups…
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Why we need the Equal Pay DayClass-action lawsuit against Birkenstock
The Shoe manufacturer Birkenstock, paid women up 2013 hourly a Euro less than men. This can mean up to 240 euros less salary in a month. Around one hundred employees filed a lawsuit against the unequal treatment – and got it right. In the meantime, Birkenstock pays the same wages.
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Why we need the Equal Pay DayThe Carpenter Champion
By coincidence, the workshop leader Edeltraud Walla learned that a colleague at the same work and a lower level of qualification earned 1,200 euros gross more than you. Wallas proceedings before the Federal constitutional court was rejected in 2016. The carpenter master and then pulled in front of the European court of human rights – but even there, your action was not successful.
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Why we need the Equal Pay DayThe Journalist
The ZDF-reporter Birte Meier found out that their male colleagues for the same work got more content and sued the station in December 2016. The presiding judge dismissed the action. “The men might have negotiated better,” he said. Meier will go in appeal.
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Why we need the Equal Pay DayA law for transparency, but not for equal pay
Federal Minister of family Affairs Manuela Schwesig (SPD) made on the Equal Pay Day 2015 for fairer wages. At the beginning of 2017, she was a law for more transparency. Thus, workers have a right to know the salary of your colleagues. Thus, there is still no law, the same wage for the same work prescribes, say Critics.
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Why we need the Equal Pay Day“Women’s professions” with a lesser salary
Women earn often less than men because they often work in lower-paid sectors: childcare, care, and other social professions. Advocates of the equal pay challenge, therefore, is that these occupations are better paid. In addition, typical “female” occupations for men opened, and Vice versa.
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Why we need the Equal Pay DayMen in Parental leave?
A basic cause for wage inequality in the parents ‘ time is also. Only a few fathers to interrupt their careers to care for the offspring, while women must therefore occur in the profession shorter. A more balanced division of childcare could lead to more wage equality.
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Why we need the Equal Pay DayGermany is pretty far back
EU-wide, Germany is in terms of wage equality between sexes is still one of the marker lights. But it also shows that You can improve something.