Irish Men Are Still Being Paid A LOT More Than Women

We may think we're inching closer to gender equality in the workplace but these latest figures are far from encouraging.

According to the latest figures from PwC, the pay gap between men and women in Ireland is 6.5% greater than it was in 2012. Yep, seriously.

Ireland continues to hold a ranking of 25th place on an international league table of overall female economic empowerment, with its current pay gap of 14.8%.

The first European Equal Pay Day was held on 5th March 2011 and is held every
year on the date that marks the number of extra days a woman must work to
match the amount of money earned by men in the previous year.

This year, it will be held on 8th March, indicating that the number of extra days has grown to 67.

Another recent report by Irish consultancy agency Morgan McKinley found that the average gender pay gap in Ireland in 2016 stands as high as 20%.

"On average, men working in like-for-like professional jobs earn €12,000 more than
women.

"These figures were calculated based on average salary and bonus. However,
when these two are split, the average salary gap stands at 16%, while the bonus gap
goes up as high as 50%."

Ireland is making progress however, as analysis shows that the pay gap could be entirely closed in 20 years time.

That compares to a 50-year span for most countries, including the UK, and 100 years for others, including the US. Other countries, such as Germany and Spain, could take up to 300 years to achieve gender pay equality.

Suggested potential solutions to the problem include addressing the diversity issue in recruitment, the introduction of family-friendly work practices and focusing on female mentor-ship schemes.